The Museum of Vancouver (MOV) presents a visual feast of innovation and tradition with Haida Now, a collaborative exhibition featuring an unparalleled collection of Haida art, on display from March 16, 2018 to June 15, 2019. Guest curated by Haida Curator Kwiaahwah Jones in collaboration with Viviane Gosselin, Co-curator and Director of Collections & Exhibitions at MOV, the exhibition will feature more than 450 works by carvers, weavers, photographers and print makers, collected as early as the 1890s.
An impressive group of local Haida Artists will share their insights and knowledge about the collection, providing visitors with the opportunity to experience a new, powerful way to engage with the worldview and sensibility of the Haida people while gaining greater appreciation for the role museums can play in the reconciliation movement.
The exhibition is organized into meaningful groupings of works that highlight the interconnection between art, language, land, spirituality, resilience, and life in the city. Haida Now elegantly displays over 450 works from the extensive Haida collection at MOV including woven baskets, intricate carvings, masks, headpieces, and jewellery. Large portraits of the Haida in Haida Gwaii and Vancouver are featured with compelling soundscapes, short films, and interactive displays to offer a vivid sense of the vibrancy of the culture.
To complement the exhibition, MOV is pleased to offer a host of public programs to further elaborate on themes of the exhibition and facilitate public conversation about the role of museums and Canadians in the reconciliation movement. The Repatriation Monologues will be a series of panel discussions on repatriation, the complex process undertaken by museums and Indigenous artists and communities to return items from museum collections to their communities of origin.
For more information about Haida Now and special programs in support of this exhibition, visit museumofvancouver.ca.
Museum of Vancouver presents Haida Now
Dates: March 16, 2018 to June 15, 2019
Address: Museum of Vancouver 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver, BC
Website: museumofvancouver.ca
Images: Haida Now