First-ever retrospective exhibition of captivating Tahltan-Tlingit master carver Dempsey Bob to open at Audain Art Museum
WHISTLER, BC, March 24, 2022 /CNW/ - Wolves: The Art of Dempsey Bob celebrates this Tahltan-Tlingit master carver's outstanding career achievements, particularly his instrumental role in moving Northwest Coast art traditions forward. Such expertise is demonstrated through his work in alder and cedar, including Dempsey Bob's signature torqueing of the form, highly polished surfaces, and ability to orchestrate secondary materials including mirrors, operculum shell, acrylic paint and sea lion whiskers. His fifty-year oeuvre in wood is complemented by bronze casting, goldsmithing, printmaking and vestment production – a brilliant selection of which has been brought together for this important exhibition, opening on April 2 at the Audain Art Museum (AAM).
"The Audain Art Museum is honoured to be mounting such a tribute to one of BC's most gifted carvers" explains Dr. Curtis Collins, Director & Chief Curator of the AAM. "Wolves presents a rare opportunity for visitors to experience a range of exceptional works that speak to Bob's advancement of Northwest Coast aesthetic practices. The exhibition is integral to the Museum's ongoing effort to provide a transformative experience for appreciating the art of this province."
Wolves offers over 100 incredible pieces on loan from private and public collections across Canada, and is co-produced by the Audain Art Museum and McMichael Canadian Art Collection. The exhibition will feature a chronological selection of masks, panels, sculptures, jewellery and regalia created by Dempsey Bob over the course of his prolific career from the 1970s to present, some of which have rarely been displayed in public. Following its debut at the Audain Art Museum, the exhibition will tour to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and Kelowna Art Gallery, accompanied by a fully illustrated hard cover book featuring the artist's life stories and legends entitled Dempsey Bob: In His Own Voice.
Made possible by the support of Presenting Sponsor RBC, Wolves: The Art of Dempsey Bob is on display in Whistler from April 2 until August 14, 2022. "RBC looks to support artists who are creating innovative conversations that shape how we engage with communities," shares Martin Thibodeau, RBC Royal Bank's regional president, British Columbia. "Dempsey Bob has been a significant innovator of the Northwest Coast cultural art form for over 50 years – and he continues to innovate by building cross-cultural partnerships and inspiring the next generations of emerging artists. As an extension of our long-standing support for Indigenous artists, we are so proud to partner with the Audain Art Museum to celebrate one of the world's most talented carvers."
In addition to RBC, exhibition sponsors include Major Sponsor Brian & Andrea Hill, Government Partner Canada Council for the Arts, Supporting Sponsors Shell Canada, Skeena Resources and SAM Foundation, Exclusive Transportation Provider PACART, Hotel Partner Fairmont Chateau Whistler and Wine Selection Sponsor Tantalus Vineyards.
Media Preview
Date: Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Time: 1:00pm
Details: Artist in Attendance
Location: Audain Art Museum
4350 Blackcomb Way, Whistler
RSVP: [email protected]
About the Audain Art Museum
The Audain Art Museum is grateful to be on the shared, unceded territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nation and Lil̓wat7úl (Lil'wat) Nation. Established in 2016, the Museum was founded via a major philanthropic gift of Michael Audain and Yoshiko Karasawa. The Permanent Collection is focused on the art of British Columbia, exemplifying the richness of cultural difference in Canada. Highlights include hereditary Haida Chief James Hart's The Dance Screen, an exceptional collection of historical and contemporary Indigenous art, a comprehensive selection of paintings by Emily Carr and a brilliant range of works by Vancouver's photo-conceptualists. The Museum hosts three temporary exhibitions per year that feature artists and collections of national as well as international significance.
About Dempsey Bob
Dempsey Bob is from the wolf clan via matrilineal descent, and traces his ancestry through Tahltan and Tlingit peoples. As a child, Bob learned traditional stories from his extended family and these narratives would become the subject matter of his art. During the 1970s, the aspiring artist apprenticed with the noted Haida carver Freda Diesing followed by courses at the Gitanmaax School of Art in Hazelton. Through the 1980s he studied old Tlingit poles and masks, as well as taught and made art in Ketchikan, Hoonah, and Sitka, Alaska. From the 1990s onward, he has gained a reputation as one of British Columbia's most gifted carvers with solo and group shows in Vancouver and across Canada, while totem pole raisings in the United States, England and Japan attest to his international standing. Dempsey Bob currently lives and works in Terrace, BC and was the recipient of a Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts in 2021.
SOURCE Audain Art Museum
Media Interviews, Dr. Curtis Collins, Director & Chief Curator, M: 604.902.4527, E. [email protected], Press Kit & Hi-Res Images: E: [email protected]
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