The Canadian Museum of Civilization presents the exhibition Haida: Life. Spirit. Art through January 23, 2011.

This exhibition is a rare chance to see more than 80 objects from the McCord Museum’s collection of 18th and 19th century Haida masterpieces. These remarkable artworks, including carved feast bowls, bentwood boxes, masks, rattles, argillite sculptures and a woven and painted hat, provide fascinating insights into the Northwest Coast culture. Featured in the exhibition are artworks by renowned Haida artist Robert Davidson, who also guided the selection of the historic artworks. His insights are woven into the exhibition commentary.

The Haida artistic style has been compared to an ancient language, with a visual grammar and vocabulary of animals and mythological creatures. These abstract or representational figures tell a story, identify the lineage of a social group and explore philosophical ideas.

The exhibition was originally presented at the McCord Museum in Montréal. The McCord Haida collection is one of the earliest and most significant in North America, and consists mostly of objects collected in 1878 by George Mercer Dawson during his travels to Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands).

An exhibition produced by the McCord Museum, Montréal, with the generous support of the Museum Assistance Program, Canadian Heritage.

www.civilization.ca

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