Looking North

Posted by: May Evans

Artist Demonstration: Aaron Nelson-Moody
Sun., April 8, 2007, 1 – 5 pm

Squamish Nation artist and teacher Aaron Nelson-Moody is the current visiting researcher in residence at the Burke’s own Bill Holm Center. He has taught storytelling, drum and jewelry making, and carving to community groups and students in Canada, Japan, and Scotland for the past twelve years, and is currently helping to create a Coast Salish Art Exhibit at the West Vancouver Museum.

As part of his residency, Aaron will be carving a replica Squamish spindle whorl live in the Burke Museum lobby this Sunday, giving you a chance to both watch and discuss his art. Not only is his demonstration a must-see event, but it will personally involve you in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where Aaron’s replica will be displayed in the new Whistler Cultural Centre.

Native American Jewelry
If you missed the "Totems to Turquoise" Native American Jewelry exhibit recently shown at the Vancouver Museum, you can still find text, images, and behind-the-scenes information at the American Museum of Natural History's website. Discover how hand-held objects such as jewelry contain an entire cosmos of mythology, and compare and contrast the differences in style between Northwest and Southwest art styles. Similar to the Burke Museum's In the Spirit of the Ancestors in that it shows what contemporary artists are doing with their Native forms, Totems to Turquoise also demonstrates the evolution of jewelry art from "traditional" carving and painting.

Canadian New Wave Cinema
In other news about our friendly neighbors to the North, the Northwest Film Forum is featuring "Clandestine Truth: The Canadian New Wave," a series of Canadian films from the 60s. Canadian films in this decade, influenced by European classics and shifting currents of thought and identity, broke distinctly away from past traditions, forging a new role for documentary filmmaking. Or, if your filmic talents and interest lie closer to home, check out the call for submissions, open until July, for the 10th Annual "Local Sightings" Film Festival.

- May