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UBC Theses and Dissertations
An exploration of first nations artists in Alert Bay, BC : connecting to the art market from home Neufeld, Margaret Rachel McKellin
Abstract
Historically, Northwest Coast First Nations artists have been active participants in local and external trade from their communities. Today, many Northwest Coast First Nations artists work in large art centers, such as art galleries in Victoria and the Lower Mainland, and/or in their local communities. In Alert Bay, B.C., home of the 'Namgis People from the Kwakwaka'wakw Nation, artists continue to create economic ties to art centers within and beyond their local community. The objective of this study is to a) explore why some First Nations artists choose to be based in Alert Bay while participating in the art market, b) identify the mechanisms that are used by artists to develop and maintain connections to both local and non-local art market centers and, c) analyze the kinds of issues or consequences that arise as a result of being involved in these types of transactions. In conducting fieldwork over a period of one month, participant-observation and semi-structured interviews with First Nations artists living in Alert Bay, I have found that artists place importance upon belonging to an aboriginal community that influences how they develop and that they maintain economic ties within and beyond their community. I intend to show that artists seek recognition for their economic contributions as artists from community members at home while they simultaneously seek recognition for their sociocultural participation by members of the non-native art-world. By analyzing the narratives of artists, tensions over the "authenticity" of the artist, the quality and standard of their work and their perceived recognition in the community arise as they attempt to participate and gain recognition in both local and non-local economic arenas.
Item Metadata
Title |
An exploration of first nations artists in Alert Bay, BC : connecting to the art market from home
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
2005
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Description |
Historically, Northwest Coast First Nations artists have been active participants in
local and external trade from their communities. Today, many Northwest Coast First Nations
artists work in large art centers, such as art galleries in Victoria and the Lower Mainland,
and/or in their local communities. In Alert Bay, B.C., home of the 'Namgis People from the
Kwakwaka'wakw Nation, artists continue to create economic ties to art centers within and
beyond their local community. The objective of this study is to a) explore why some First
Nations artists choose to be based in Alert Bay while participating in the art market, b)
identify the mechanisms that are used by artists to develop and maintain connections to both
local and non-local art market centers and, c) analyze the kinds of issues or consequences
that arise as a result of being involved in these types of transactions.
In conducting fieldwork over a period of one month, participant-observation and
semi-structured interviews with First Nations artists living in Alert Bay, I have found that
artists place importance upon belonging to an aboriginal community that influences how they
develop and that they maintain economic ties within and beyond their community. I intend
to show that artists seek recognition for their economic contributions as artists from
community members at home while they simultaneously seek recognition for their sociocultural
participation by members of the non-native art-world. By analyzing the narratives of
artists, tensions over the "authenticity" of the artist, the quality and standard of their work
and their perceived recognition in the community arise as they attempt to participate and gain
recognition in both local and non-local economic arenas.
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Genre | |
Type | |
Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-12-11
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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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.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0091983
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
2005-05
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
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.