Past Exhibitions

Revisiting the Silence
March 3, 2011 - June 5, 2011 Extended until June 12, 2011


Cumshewa, Haida, Haida Gwaii, 1968. Photo: Adelaide de Menil

Revisiting the Silence follows the tradition of travelling to see the totem poles along the Northwest Coast, as reflected in the powerful black and white photos taken by New York photographer, Adelaide de Menil in the 1960s. Guest curator Peter Morin has selected haunting images from de Menil’s photographic collection that take us to the original locations of the totem poles. We see the last standing place for many of the older poles before their removal by museums or their return to the earth. Revisiting the Silence addresses the dilemma of collecting poles, and for some, the parallel dilemma of allowing the poles to go back to the earth. Come to the Bill Reid Gallery to experience these thought-provoking images and reflect on their cultural implications.

Exhibition runs through June 12, 2011.

Revisiting the Silence was curated by:
Peter Morin - guest curator, artist and teacher

View Photos of the Opening Reception for this exhibition here



TIME WARP
Contemporary Textiles of the Northwest Coast
July 16, 2010 - January 16, 2011 Extended until February 27, 2011


Dress by Lisa Telford: Pocha Haida, 2009. Photo by Kenji Nagai.

Time Warp: Contemporary Textiles of the Northwest Coast celebrates the textile and fibre art of 20 emerging, mid-career and internationally recognized Aboriginal artists fromAlaska, Yukon, BC, and Washington State.

Time Warp challenges the stereotype of weaving as “women’s work”, implying “purely decorative” and “meaningless”, and conveys the pivotal role of textiles in contemporary Northwest Coast artistic practice. Co-curated by Dr. Martine Reid, consulting curator, Bill Reid Gallery and Haida Artist and Master Weaver, Evelyn Vanderhoop, the exhibition features works by: Tracy Auchter, Carrie Anne Vanderhoop Bellis, Delores Churchill, Janice Criswell, Sherri Dick, Lisa Hageman, Lani Hotch, Lily Hudson, Shelly Laws, Victoria Moody, Marie Oldfield, Susan Pavel, Clarissa Rizal, Isabel Rorick, Ann Smith, Debra Sparrow, Robyn Sparrow, Lisa Telford, Evelyn Vanderhoop, William White.

Northwest Coast textiles are fundamental to cultural exchange and ceremony. Therefore, the works are displayed on custom-made body forms to show how the pieces were designed to be worn and experienced. Highlights include: Coast Salish weaving, Raven's Tail and Naaxiin style (Chilkat) robes, tunics and capes, as well as cedar bark and spruce root clothing and accessories.

“The art of producing woven textiles and garments is as necessary to the Northwest Coast civilization as that of the wood carver or canoe maker,” explains co-curator Dr. Martine Reid, who originated the exhibition. “Drummers, dancers and leaders clothed in the products of the weavers’ hands boldly pronounce our stories,”said co-curator, Evelyn Vanderhoop. “Textiles are again taking their place in the ever-changing matrix of our evolving culture.”

View photos from the Opening Reception on July 15, 2010

View photos from the Closing Reception on February 26, 2011


Article by the US Consulate General
US Consulate brings Alaska artists to Vancouver for First Nations weaving revival exhibit


Exhibition Catalogue
A 72 page colour catalogue accompanies the exhibition and can be purchased from the Gallery Gift Shop - SOLD OUT


Time Warp was made possible by the generous support of: Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, City of Vancouver, The Hamber Foundation, 2010 Legacies Now, The Vancouver Foundation, Face the World Foundation, US Consulate General, Vancouver and Scriba International Art Society.



A Tale of Two Artists
Prints by John Brent Bennett and Bill Reid
April 9, 2010 - July 11, 2010


John Brent Bennett and Bill Reid never met, yet their lives and experiences have some interesting parallels. This tale of an acknowledged master and a blossoming talent shows how new aesthetic forms develop when the past is seen through the lens of the present.




Shawn Hunt: Trickster, 2009. Photo by Kenji Nagai.

Continuum: Vision and Creativity on the Northwest Coast
June 20, 2009 - January 31, 2010 Extended until March 28, 2010

Continuum: Vision and Creativity on the Northwest Coast is an exhibition of commissioned artwork from 23 emerging and mid-career artists from as far north as Sitka, Alaska, along the coast of British Columbia from Masset, Bella Bella, Sechelt, Victoria, and Vancouver, and south to Washington State.
The artists in the exhibition are: Sonny Assu, John Brent Bennett, Hollie Bartlett, Kelly Cannell, Mike Dangeli, Nicholas Galanin, Philip Gray, Dean Hunt, Shawn Hunt, Aaron Nelson-Moody, Marianne Nicolson, Corey Moraes, Shaun Peterson, Krista Point, Ian Reid, Teri Rofkar, Tanis S’eiltin, Moy Sutherland, Jay Simeon, Carrie Ann Vanderhoop, Dan Wallace, William Wasden Jr., and Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas.

The artworks incorporate a wide range of mediums: printmaking, sculpture, painting, drawing, photography, jewelry, textiles, carving and an installation.

The exhibition sets out to reach new audiences, and to explore and shift current dialogue addressing Aboriginal art on the Northwest Coast by informing both connections and separations between traditional and contemporary practices, as defined through medium, style, design and market demand, among other areas.

The exhibition is accompanied by unique pre-exhibition programming that positions artists within each of their specific sense of place or community to further questions addressing traditional and contemporary elements of practice. Artist in residencies and forums are taking place with three dialogue partners: the 'Ksan Museum in Hazelton, the Haida Gwaii Museum in Skidegate, and the U'mista Cultural Centre in Alert Bay.

A fully illustrated colour catalogue will accompany the exhibition.

Continuum: Vision and Creativity on the Northwest Coast is generously supported by Arts Partners in Creative Development.



Bill Reid: Master of Haida Art
May 8, 2008 - May 31, 2009

Embark on a journey into the mystery of Haida art as experienced by the renowned artist Bill Reid, and be transported by his art, stories and film.