Monday, January 16, 2023

The Nishga Girl

The next of the open spaces in this part of the Museum houses two artifacts. The large untitled mural in the background once hung in the corporate headquarters of the British American Oil Company, but has long been here. It is a collaboration of two artists, Thor Hansen, who designed it, and Umberto Bruni, who did the painting. 

In the foreground is Nishga Girl, a boat that was built out of the friendship between two men. Eli Gosnell, a First Nations chief on the Pacific coast, was friends with Judo "Jack" Tasaka, who with his family was forcibly interred during the Second World War. Gosnell purchased the family's fishing boat to protect their livelihood until their return. Years later, Tasaka built the Nishga Girl as a tribute and gift to his friend. Now she resides here.


Daphne Odjig is another of the great artists in Canadian history. This 1978 acrylic is a big one, titled The Indian In Transition.


From here the path led out into the Grand Hall, where a series of facades of Pacific Coast homes and a number of totem poles are arranged in this large space. Further down, a series of tables had been set up with board games for kids; this being the period around Christmas, that made sense.


The largest game of chutes and ladders I've ever seen.


More from here tomorrow.

48 comments:

  1. I love the painting "Indians in transition" as it reminds me of traditional Japanese art

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  2. Nice story with the friends and the boat!

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  3. Wonderful shots and a great story about Nishga Girl.

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  4. Another great exhibit, I love the boat, the totems and the mural. Take care, have a great new week!

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  5. Wonderful exhibits. Thank you for sharing, William.

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  6. ...this is a gorgeous gallery.

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  7. That is a wonderful story about friendship.
    Is the canal freezing over yet?

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    1. Getting in shape for it, but i haven't heard anything yet about its opening.

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  8. What a great story about the friendship of the two men.

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  9. Nishga Girl is a lovely boat and I very much like that mural as well.

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  10. I could stay in this area for a long time.

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  11. Muy bueno el Mural y el gran barco, que forma parte de la colección.

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  12. The indigenous art is wonderful ~ wonderful boat creation ~

    Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  13. A wonderful story about Nishga Girl

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  14. Totem art speaks to a very ancient internal part of me. I could look at these for hours!

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  15. There is so much to learn of the indigenous heritage of this country and the deep moral values we have shunned and ridiculed.

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  16. The story of the friendship that saved the boat during that terrible miscarriage of justice is such a heart-warming one.

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  17. I think I would have a good wander around the museum for most of the day.

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  18. That is a wonderful story about Nishga Girl

    All the best Jan
    https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/

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  19. What a treasure trove to explore. Fantastic photos, they really capture the stunning architecture of the building as well as the exhibits.

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  20. I loved the big wall that looks close to cartoons!

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