Everyone loves a good haiku

Posted by: Julia Swan

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the Hoh River, one of the nation’s last untouched rivers. This week I’m writing to announce that Fast Moving Water: The Hoh River Story is now on view at the Burke. I was really impressed by Keith Lazelle’s photographs and was easily able to find a moment of zen in a busy work day by sitting in the exhibit space and listening to the accompanying nature sounds by Emmy-winning recordist Gordon Hempton. I recommend you come check it out—it’s a small, but extremely calming and pleasant photo show.

Keith Lazelle was inspired to become a photographer through a book of photographic translations of Japanese haiku poetry. In the spirit of haiku-loving, I propose a Burke Blog Haiku Contest! Feel free to leave a comment with your own favorite haiku—if you need a prompt, try writing about your favorite outdoor location. I’ll start it off with a brief ode to the Hoh River:

Deep in the mountains
A small river flows—untouched
Makes its way to sea

Ok—your turn!

- Julia

P.S. The talented Karyn Gregory has once again recorded a great podcast. This time it's with Keith Lazelle, talking about his experiences in the Olympics. Click here to listen.

Introducing the Hoh River

Posted by: Julia Swan

In just less than a month, a new environmental photography exhibit opens on April 24, 2008 at the Burke called Fast Moving Water: The Hoh River Story. The exhibit showcases 14 framed color photographs of the Hoh River by acclaimed nature photographer Keith Lazelle.

I have to admit, until recently I knew very little about the Hoh River. I grew up in the backyard of the mighty Columba River, so 50 miles of flowing water in the Olympic Peninsula seemed more like a stream to me. Of course, once I started learning more about the Hoh River, I realized that this small river, tucked away in one of the most beautiful places in the Pacific Northwest, has quite a fascinating story.

The Hoh River helps support one of the planet’s last intact temperate rainforests, the Hoh Rain Forest. Enormous Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and western red cedar trees tower at up to 300 feet and are part of a rich and diverse ecosystem of plants and animals. Bald eagles, northern spotted owls, Roosevelt elk, black bears, bull trout, and salmon are just a few of the species that can commonly be found in the Hoh Rain Forest.

The Hoh River plays a crucial part in sustaining this luscious forest habitat. The waters of the river, and its tributaries, are an important life source for nearly all of the living creatures and green plant life in the forest. That’s all fine and well, but the truly unique feature of the Hoh River is that it is one of the only rivers in the contiguous United States that is in pristine condition—in other words, the Hoh River and its floodplain has escaped the onslaught of damming, logging, and other sorts of development that has affected so many American rivers.

In an age when untouched natural environments are increasingly vulnerable, the Hoh River is an important symbol of why conservation matters. Luckily, groups such as the The Hoh River Trust, our partner in bringing this exhibit to the Burke, have worked hard to protect and preserve the river and the land that surrounds it. One look at the gorgeous photos from Fast Moving Water, and I’m sold. In fact, once that sun comes back out, I might have to a plan a little venture into the rainforest!

- Julia

Photos by Keith Lazelle, on view in Fast Moving Water: The Hoh River Story, April 24-June 6, 2008, Burke Museum.

Now installing: Indigenous Philippine Art

Posted by: Rebecca (Durkin) Whitham

The Burke exhibitions crew is right now installing some gorgeous Philippine textiles and jewelry in the New Acquisitions case in the Pacific Voices gallery.

The showcased collection features colorful and unusual beadwork, brass work, and ikat weavings representing the indigenous folk art of the T’boli and Yakan peoples of the Philippines. Seen above is a T'boli woman's embroidered shirt.

Here is a close up of the geometric patterns on a tubular skirt known as a pinantupan, made by the Yakan from Basilan Island.

Click on the two object photos to find out more about them through their collections records in our online database. Or come see the real thing now through August.

- Rebecca

Mmm...donuts

Posted by: Julia Swan

What’s better than a buffet of delicious snacks with everything from finger sandwiches to donuts? A FREE buffet of delicious snacks, of course!

And what’s even better than snacking on a rich, delicious buffet? Snacking on that buffet at the Burke Museum where you can also peruse beautiful handcrafted clothing from the Columbia River Plateau, contemplate the intriguing photographs of Plateau Native Americans that U.S. Major Lee Moorhouse took at the end of the nineteenth century, and watch documentary films from the UW Native Voices program.

UW students can do it all tonight at the Burke Museum Student Open House from 7-9 pm.

See you there!
Julia

Let us feed your stomachs and minds

Posted by: Julia Swan

UW Students: Come to the Burke for free food, films, and new exhibits!

Calling all UW students! Have you been to the Burke this quarter to see Peoples of the Plateau and This Place Called Home—two new exhibits about the arts and culture of the Columbia River Plateau region? If the answer is yes, then you’ll definitely want to come back to meet the curator (coincidently, he’s a UW student!) and talk to him about his experiences putting together the exhibit. If the answer is no, then you really need to come see the beautiful, hand-crafted objects we have on display, like rawhide saddle bags, intricately beaded cradle boards, elkskin clothing, and a lot more.

I bet you are wondering, “when might I do all this?” Of course as a student, you can come to the Burke for free any day, but why not come on Wednesday, March 5, from 7 -9 pm, when the museum will be open late just for students? On top of that, we will be serving a delicious buffet of rich hor d’oeuvres with Mighty-O Donuts and coffee for dessert.

Finally, when you’re done checking out the exhibits and munching on yummy treats, you should stay for two screenings of films from the UW’s own Native Voices documentary film program. White Shamans and Plastic Medicine Men and American Red and Black: Stories of Afro-Native Identity (pictured left) will be playing at the Burke with special appearances by filmmaker Alicia Woods and Native Voices rep Jonathan Tomhave.

So take a break from studying and mosey on up to the Burke Museum to meet new people, indulge in tasty (free!) food, and learn something new about the Native cultures of Eastern Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

See you there!

- Julia

On thin ice

Posted by: Rebecca Durkin

If we don’t act now, “climate change is going to deal with us on its own terms, and we’re not going to have the options to deal with it on our terms,” says wildlife photographer Steven Kazlowski in his latest interview with KPLU’s environment reporter Liam Moriarty.

Kazlowski, the wildlife photographer behind the Burke’s upcoming environmental exhibit, The Last Polar Bear: Facing the Truth of a Warming World, talks about the devastating changes to the melting arctic ecosystem that he has seen firsthand tracking and photographing polar bears for eight years.

If you have ever wondered what it’s like to wake up to find a polar bear in your tent, take a listen.

- Rebecca

Is the Polar Bear endangered?

Posted by: Rebecca Durkin

We’re opening an exhibit in June about the impact of global warming on polar bears in Alaska – and with the status of the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act currently under review by the federal government, we’ve been keeping a close eye on the debate raging between climatologists, environmentalists, wildlife scientists, land developers, Alaskan residents, and government officials over its protection.

Some parties expect the protection of polar bears to do for global warming awareness and reform what the endangered status of the bald eagle did for pesticides reform, while others think it will wrongfully cripple Alaskan development. This issue is loaded with conflicting priorities and expectations, summed up nicely in NPR’s brief report by Elizabeth Arnold today. Take a listen to this crash course in the debate: “Polar Bear Isn’t Endangered.”

- Rebecca

Photo (c) Steven Kazlowski,www.lefteyepro.com. On view in The Last Polar Bear: Facing the Truth of a Warming World, opens June 8, 2008 at the Burke Museum.

Better Late than Never

Posted by: Rebecca Durkin

Here are the photos from opening day of Peoples of the Plateau and This Place Called Home. They give you a great sense of what's on display now at the Burke.

- Rebecca

Photos by Storms PhotoGraphic.

The Maker's Story

Posted by: Rebecca Durkin

If you missed the interview on KUOW yesterday, follow that link to hear This Place Called Home co-curator Miles R. Miller (Yakama/Nez Perce) talking with Sound Focus host Megan Sukys about the stories of the Plateau and the cultural differences across the Cascades. (The interview starts at around the 14 minute mark into the program from 1/29.)

The Plateau exhibits opened this weekend with a wonderful members’ reception on Friday night:

I'll be back soon with photos from the public opening this past Saturday.

- Rebecca

"In Progress"

Posted by: Karyn Gregory

One of my colleagues (and friends) in the Museology department has a show opening up this weekend at the Burke: This Place Called Home (along with the traveling exhibit Peoples of the Plateau). He's been working on curating this show nonstop since last Fall. The exhibit installation is finally finished and I managed to sneak in earlier this week and take some photos of the process to give readers a taste of what to expect. It looks...stunning. Hard to believe this is the same space the Y2Y and Giant Squid exhibits were in.

I'm so proud of Miles!

- Karyn

Who gets to tell the story?

Posted by: Rebecca Durkin

I was cautious when I first heard that with our upcoming Peoples of the Plateau exhibit, we were going to display the turn of the century photographs of Native American subjects taken by a white man who felt he was documenting a “vanishing” race. In this Sunday’s thoughtful Pacific Northwest Magazine cover story found in the Seattle Times, art critic Sheila Farr mines this same apprehension, and with insight from Roberta Conner (director of the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute, Pendleton, OR) and Steven Grafe (curator of the traveling exhibit), comes to some very helpful conclusions for anyone who plans to see the exhibit and decide for themselves what is the significance of these images to our understanding of history.

Acknowledging the colonialist overtones in his practice, Farr and Grafe still give credit to Moorhouse for his progressive habit of recording the names of people and places in his photographs, an effort not often seen in the work of his contemporaries. Not only do these identifications make the photographs more useful as a historic document, but they also imply that the subjects are real people and places, not just stereotypes and romanticized landscapes.

At the Burke, we’re balancing the Moorhouse presentation with an exhibit of Plateau objects from our own collection. Titled This Place Called Home, the companion exhibit presents the story of the same Native American subjects, but in their own voices, as told through their cultural materials and taped interviews.

I’m excited to see the shows open this weekend and compare the stories the two shows are telling. Will This Place Called Home serve as a test of sorts for the authenticity of the images in Peoples of the Plateau? And how will the historic photos in Peoples of the Plateau inform the context with which we look at the cultural materials in This Place Called Home?

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. The exhibit opens to the public this Sat., Jan. 26.

- Rebecca

Photo: Dr. Whirlwind, Cayuse Tribe, circa 1905, photograph by Lee Moorhouse. From Division of Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Library System. On view in Peoples of the Plateau, Burke Museum, Seattle, Jan. 26 – June 8, 2008.

Plateau News

Posted by: Rebecca Durkin

University Week is out now with a wonderful piece on our upcoming Plateau exhibits (opening Jan. 26). Co-curators Miles R. Miller and Jim Nason talk about the significance of these exhibits in promoting cultural awareness across broad audiences. They offer great insight into the work of the museum: telling the real stories of real people using their real voices and authentic materials. It’s no easy job, but it is one they are both passionate about.

- Rebecca.

Photo: Baby moccasins and adult moccasins (Yakama), photo by Mary Levin. On view in This Place Called Home, Jan. 26 – June 8, 2008.

From the Deep

Posted by: Rebecca Durkin

Squid Diversity specimen case, In Search of Giant Squid. On view now.

In Search of Giant Squid is closing on Dec. 31 and we are getting the mollusk out of our systems with some fun last hurrahs.

Next week kicks off our Films from the Deep series. We’ll be screening a classic ocean adventure at 1 pm each day from Wed., Dec. 26 – Sun., Dec. 30. The line up covers everything from the cuddly-cute (The Little Mermaid) to the melancholy (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou). And best of all, you get to close out 2007 with the original 007 – Sun., Dec. 30 brings us Sean Connery’s Bond battling underwater in Thunderball.

Come for the movies but stay for the squid. We’ve added all new squid specimens to the exhibit that get you up close and personal with the diversity of squid anatomy (see photo above). Thanks go to the ichthyologists in our Fish Division who supplied the jars-o-squid.

- Rebecca

Plateau Close-up

Posted by: Rebecca Durkin

Last week I joined the curatorial team for an object photo shoot behind-the-scenes in our Ethnology collections lab. We’re gearing up for the January opening of two shows that look at Plateau Arts & Culture: Peoples of the Plateau (historic photography) and This Place Called Home (cultural materials from the Burke’s Plateau collections).

This Place Called Home guest curator Miles R. Miller (Yakama) is a beadwork artist inspired by the traditional motifs of the Plateau region. He’s pictured here along with a selection of objects from the exhibit, including a stunning buckskin coat (capote) with beaded details, a cradle board, and two hats that showcase two approaches to a similar motif.

These will be the first exhibits to celebrate Eastern Washington Plateau culture at the Burke in over 20 years. Many of the objects will be on exhibit for the first time ever thanks to Miles’ hard work and collaboration with Burke staff. Exciting times.

- Rebecca

Photos by Mary Levin

Squids!

Posted by: Rebecca Durkin

Desperate to know how squid mate? Curious to see the squishy innards of squid?

Well, maybe you weren’t always, but that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy the oodles of squid knowledge you’ll pick up on the opening day event of the Burke’s newest exhibit, In Search of Giant Squid, developed by the Smithsonian Institution.

Seafarers, pirates, and families will all find something intriguing in our schedule of activities for Sat., Sept. 22, 10 am – 5 pm:

11 am – Exhibit Tour with Alan Kohn, Burke Museum Adjunct Curator of Malacology (Malacology is the study of mollusks, and giant squid are, in fact, giant mollusks)

12 noon – Squid Dissection with the Seattle Aquarium

1 pm – Learn about cutting-edge, real-time ocean observation technology with Professor of Oceanography John Delaney

2 pm – Exhibit Tour with Alan Kohn, Burke Museum Adjunct Curator of Malacology

2:30 pm – Captain John Burke and Blue Peter present songs of the sea: shanties, ballads and other lies.

4:00 pm – Poetry Readings with the Cephalopod Appreciation Society

All day – The Artful Squid crafts with Port Townsend Marine Science Center

I'll be there taking photos, as usual. You'll know me by the giant camera around my neck. Be sure to say hi and let us know you're a Burke Blog reader!

- Rebecca

We're ready...

Posted by: Rebecca Durkin

The last of the images are hung and labels are in place. Join us on Sat., June 16, 10 am – 5 pm for the opening day of Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam.

Opening Day Schedule

10:15 am ~ Photographer Tour with Florian Schulz
11am ~ “The Origin and Status of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative”
12 pm ~ “The Columbia Highlands - Making the Rockies to Rainforest Connection”
12:30 pm ~ Photographer Tour with Florian Schulz
1:30 pm ~ “Wildlife Bridges Across Interstate 90”
2pm ~ “From the Cascades to Karakoram – a global exploration of bears”
2:30 pm ~ Photographer Tour with Florian Schulz
3 pm ~ “Bringing Critical Wildlife Conservation Issues to the Public”

I’m most looking forward to the tours with featured photographer, Florian Schulz (pictured left). I’ve been working with his images for months now in preparation for the show, but when I finally met him and heard him talk about trailing grizzlies through the mountains for 10 years, it struck me how deep the stories these pictures tell really are. Florian hangs off of precipices, dives underwater, tracks animals that could kill him in an instant, and sits still for hours and hours at a time just to capture that one glorious instant we see in an image on the gallery wall. It seems like there is so much wisdom living in those mountains, and it lives in him now too.

- Rebecca

Burke Photo Blogging, Take 1:

Posted by: Karyn Gregory

Look! Here are a few images of the installation process for our new exhibit, Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam. The hallways here at the museum are buzzing in anticipation of opening day for our new show (June 16).

- Karyn

The exhibits, they are a-changin’

Posted by: Rebecca Durkin

The Burke's powerful show of contemporary indigenous photography, Our People, Our Land, Our Images, closed yesterday.

But the exhibit space won’t stay empty for long. Up next is a gorgeous wildlife photography show, Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam, opening June 16. Photographer Florian Schulz spent 10 years following the trail of the grizzly through the Rocky Mountains. His images of the wildlife, the landscape, and the people of the region drive home a message of conservation for one of the world’s major mountain ecosystems.

Burke Blog will get you behind-the-scenes as we install Y2Y and prepare for opening day activities. Some of the 40 photos from the show are framed and hanging out in the exhibit workshop until they are ready to be installed. The exhibits crew is also working on panels and labels right now. More images coming soon!

- Rebecca

Archaeology on Display

Posted by: Rebecca Durkin

Burke archaeologist Peter Lape’s research has taken him all around the world.

In a new display in the Burke Museum lobby, you’ll learn about his work in East Timor studying how climate change has impacted the Timorese over the past 1000 years.

Among the archaeological highlights you’ll also find a “tua arak bottle” on display, which Lape hilariously captions:

This bottle was filled with distilled palm liquor called tua arak, black rice, and the spit of the clan elder for the Ira Ara site...

The liquor protects us from harm from disturbed spirits. I keep the empty bottle near my computer to guard against viruses and hard disk crashes.

- Rebecca

The review is in...

Posted by: Rebecca Durkin

The Seattle Times review of In the Spirit of the Ancestors hit newsstands yesterday. Art critic Sheila Farr examines the difficulty of defining the term “contemporary Native art” when today’s Native artists span many generations and geographies.

The review offers a great look at the exhibit, the legacy of Burke curator emeritus Bill Holm, and the future of Native art in the hands of young, emerging artists like Shaun Peterson, pictured above (photo courtesy of Seattle Times).

- Rebecca