This Third Thursday, Tacoma Art Museum welcomes Seattle Art Museum Curator of Native American Art Barbara Brotherton, who will discuss contemporary Coast Salish art at 5:30 pm. Brotherton offers insight into Tacoma Art Museums current exhibition Carving a Legacy: Innovation in Coast Salish Art, as she discusses the works of several contemporary artists whose innovative styles are pushing the boundaries of traditional Coast Salish Art.
Tacoma Art Museum artist-in-residence Shaun Peterson also joins Dr. Brotherton in the discussion. Peterson, a Tacoma artist and member of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians is the spotlight of Carving a Legacy, an exhibition that focuses on the process of creating a large-scale sculpture from start to finish. Peterson is currently carving a maquette, or scale model, of a larger Coast Salish Welcome Figure in Tacoma Art Museums largest gallery.
Peterson and master carver Greg Colfax of the Makah Tribal Nation plan to carve the larger Welcome Figure from a single cedar log. The artists, in cooperation with museum curators, are currently searching for a log that meets the artists exacting specifications, in terms of size and relative flawlessness.
The search for the perfect log is proving to be one of the most challenging aspects of this exhibition, says curator Rock Hushka. However, the search has allowed the artists time to perfect some mechanical considerations in the scale model and to acquaint museum visitors with the process of undertaking such a monumental project, from choosing the log, to sketching and scaling the work, to the finished product.
Visitors can learn more about Coast Salish art by attending the Third Thursday lecture by Dr. Brotherton at 5:30 pm on August 18. In addition to participating in Dr. Brothertons lecture, Peterson will speak briefly about his work at various times throughout the day on August 18. Call ahead for times and more information about Carving a Legacy at (253) 272-4258.
