Title
Northwest Coast Native American Art: The Relationship between Museums, Native Americans and Artists
Department Chair
Andrew D. Nicholls, Ph.D. Professor of History
Date of Award
8-2016
Access Control
Open Access
Degree Name
Museum Studies, M.A.
Department
History and Social Studies Education Department
Advisor
Cynthia A. Conides, Ph.D. Associate Professor of History and Social Studies Education Program and Director for Museum Studies
Department Home page
http://graduateschool.buffalostate.edu/programs?bpid=522
First Reader
Cynthia A. Conides, Ph.D. Associate Professor of History and Social Studies Education Program and Director for Museum Studies
Second Reader
Lisa Marie Anselmi, Ph.D., R.P.A. Associate Professor and Chair of Anthropology and Coordinator for Indigenous Studies
Abstract
Museums today have many responsibilities, including protecting and understanding objects in their care. Many also have relationships with groups of people whose items or artworks are housed within their institutions. This paper explores the relationship between museums and Northwest Coast Native Americans and their artists. Participating museums include those in and out of the Northwest Coast region, such as the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, the Burke Museum, the Royal British Columbia Museum, the American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Museum. Museum professionals who conducted research for some of these museums included Franz Boas, James Swan, and Frederick Ward Putnum, and they worked with Natives and artists like Charles Edenshaw who influenced later artists including Bill Holm, Bill Reid, Mungo Martin, Willie Seaweed, Robert Davidson and Cheryl Samuel. The relationship is explored by examining different moments in history that occurred between the Northwest Coast’s origins and today, as well as the Native art made during these times. Some of these moments include Native contact with outsiders, the era of collecting, the Northwest Coast Renaissance, and the effects of repatriation laws/guidelines. These moments had an effect on the relationship and enabled it to develop into what it is today.
Recommended Citation
Myers, Karrie E., "Northwest Coast Native American Art: The Relationship between Museums, Native Americans and Artists" (2016). Museum Studies Theses. 9.
https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/museumstudies_theses/9
Included in
American Art and Architecture Commons, American Material Culture Commons, Archaeological Anthropology Commons, Archival Science Commons, Art Education Commons, Art Practice Commons, Canadian History Commons, Classical Archaeology and Art History Commons, Contemporary Art Commons, Cultural History Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Fiber, Textile, and Weaving Arts Commons, Indigenous Studies Commons, Metal and Jewelry Arts Commons, Museum Studies Commons, Other American Studies Commons, Other History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, Painting Commons, Printmaking Commons, Public Relations and Advertising Commons, Sculpture Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, Social Influence and Political Communication Commons, United States History Commons
