Ellen Neel: The First Woman Totem Pole Carver

January 14 to April 1, 2017

Legacy Art Gallery Downtown  | 630 Yates Street

Curated by the Williams Legacy Chair Dr. Carolyn Butler Palmer with advising curators David A. Neel and Lou-ann Neel

This exhibition celebrates the career of Kwagiulth (Kwakwaka’wakw) carver Ellen Neel (1916-1966), the first woman carver of monumental totem poles. Further, it acknowledges Neel’s influential role as a professional artist and her contribution towards the recognition of what Neel called “Indian Art”. “Our art continues to live, for not only is it part and parcel of us, but can be a powerful factor in combining the best part of Indian culture with the fabric of a truly Canadian art form.” – Ellen Neel

Image credit: Kakasolas (Ellen Neel), carved and painted cedar mask by David A. Neel (photograph by Katie Hughes. On loan from Camosun College, Department of Visual Arts.

EVENTS

EllenNeelLecture

Feb. 22 | 5 – 6pm *limited seating

Legacy Art Gallery Downtown  | 630 Yates Street

Distinguished Women Scholar Lecture Series

TOPIC: “I Want to Call Their Names in Resistance”: Claiming Space for Indigenous Women in Canadian Art History.

Dr. Sherry Farrell Racette, Professor, artist & curator. Presented by the Department of Art History and Visual Studies.

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