Canadian art and cultural appropriation : Emily Carr and the 1927 exhibition of Canadian West Coast Art - Native and Modern
department or school: Arts, Faculty of
department or school: Fine Arts, Department of, Department of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Morrison, Ann Katherine, 1929-
issued: 2011-02-12T00:07:20Z
issued: 1991
related degree: Master of Arts - MA
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: In December 1927, Emily Carr's paintings were shown for the first time in central Canada in an exhibition called Canadian West Coast Art - Native and Modern. This event was held at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, and marked a major turning point in Carr's career, for it brought her acceptance by the intellectual and artistic elite with their powerful networks of influence, as well as national acclaim in the public press. To this point, art historical writings have tended to focus on the artist and her own experiences, and in the process, the importance of this experimental exhibition in which her work was included has been overlooked and marginalized. This thesis attempts to redress this imbalance by examining the exhibition in detail: first, to analyze the complexities of its ideological premises and the cultural implications of juxtaposing, for the first time in Canada, aboriginal and non-native artistic production within an art gallery setting; second, to consider the roles played by the two curators, Eric Brown, Director of the National Gallery, and C. Marius Barbeau, chief ethnologist at the National Museum; and third, to indicate the ways in which Emily Carr's works and those of the other non-native artists functioned within the exhibition. During the 1920s, both the National Gallery and the National Museum were caught up in the competitive dynamic of asserting their leadership positions in the cause of Canadian nationalism and the development of a national cultural identity. In this 1927 exhibition, these issues of nationalism, self-definition and the development of a distinctly "Canadian" art permeated its organization and presentation. The appropriated aboriginal cultural material in the museum collections that had languished within storage cases was to be given a contemporary function. It was to be redeemed as "art," specifically as a "primitive" stage in the teleological development of the constructed field of "Canadian" art history. In this eli…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/31244
note: CANADIAN ART AND CULTURAL APPROPRIATION: EMILY CARR AND THE 1927 EXHIBITION OF CANADIAN WEST COAST ART - NATIVE AND MODERN by A N N K A T H E R I N E M O R R I S O N B.A., The University of Saska tchewan, 1950 A T H E S I S S U B M I T T E D IN P A R T I A L F U L F I L L M E N T O F T H E R E Q U I R E M E N T S F O R T H E D E G R E E O F M A S T E R O F A R T S in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Department of Fine Arts) W e accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F BRIT ISH C O L U M B I A April 1991 G> Ann Katherine Morr ison, 1991 In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the head of my department or by his or her representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department The University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada DE-6 (2/88) ii ABSTRACT In December 1927, Emi ly Car r 's paintings were shown for the first time in central C a n a d a in an exhibition cal led Canad ian West Coas t Art - Native and Modern . This event was held at the National Gal lery of C a n a d a in Ottawa, and marked a major turning point in Car r 's career, for it brought her acceptance by the intellectual and artistic elite with their powerful networks of inf luence, as well as national acc la im in the public press. To this point, art historical writings have tended to focus on the artist and her own exper iences, and in the process, the importance of this experimental exhibition in which her work was included has been over looked and marginal ized. This thesis attempts to redress this imbalance by examining the exhibition in detai l : first, to ana lyze the comp…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0100591
language: eng
degree discipline: Fine Arts
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
scholar level: Graduate
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/31244