Glenbow Museum auctions off First Nations collection

Ojibwe Bandolier bag, late 19th century 

Yesterday the Glenbow museum auctioned off over a hundred and sixty of its First Nations beadwork, basketry, bandolier bags and other artifacts through Hodgins Art Auctions in Calgary.

 The items were originally collected by oil magnate Eric L Harvie who had a passion for acquiring Aboriginal art and artifacts in Alberta. He donated this collection to the museum in hopes that it would be well taken care of and used for the education and benefit of the public. The Glenbow states that after reviewing their collection, they decided to get rid of some pieces that weren't relevant any more to the collection.

Its a shame that the Glenbow, a public institution, would sell off these artifacts without considering their importance to local Aboriginal communities and the general public.

Considering the importance of historical Aboriginal artifacts to many community members, artists and scholars, this is a great loss.

The heritage of Plains, Ojibwe and other aboriginal artists can not be given a monetary value, and yet that is exactly what has happened with this auction. Now they are in the hands of private collectors and who knows what will happen to them?

Many museums today struggle to make ends meet and this action then can be understood in the context of  harsh economic times. The museum will make a fund from the auction proceeds to be used later on.
This auction also attests to the lack of funding and support that many museums need to protect and preserve their collections. As concerned citizens, we need to lobby the government to support its museums and public art institutions!

Dakota, Beaded Cuffs, late 19th century 

Native American Art Studies Association conference coming up soon!

The Native American Art Studies Assocation will be hosted in Ottawa this year. Don't forget to register and hope to see you there!

http://nativearts.org/conferences/

Photos from the Annual General Assembly, Parry Sound, Ontario

The following are photos from the AGA this year. Enjoy! 

A prospective book cover for the novel Akila's Labyrinth

Hey folks! I have been MIA for the past few weeks, editing my book and working on various native art research projects.
Here is a picture of my prospective book cover for Akila's Labyrinth.
I'm hoping to have it finished by the end of the year!

The cover is based on a photograph i took when i was travelling through southern New Mexico and stopped in the town of Mountainair. We went for a tour of the haunted Shaffer hotel and afterwards were looking around outside and we came across this beautiful and creepy art-deco, rough-hewn mosaic devil dude. So that's whose in the picture.

Here's the abstract:

 Akila Peters works as an art consultant in Santa Fe. Wandering through the Georgia O’Keefe museum, he discovers a man’s body with a labyrinth tattoo. While he tries to unravel why this man was killed, he discovers a series of Southwest art thefts and a variety of interesting characters in the City Different. His neighbor, Ms. White, likes to spy on his apartment and while she seems innocent, she has a collection of Civil War era weapons and an assortment of Southwestern jewelry that has gone missing. His one friend in town, Janine, works at the Garcia Books bookstore and has a knack for understanding people. She also sports a labyrinth tattoo. Although never one for believing in the supernatural, something is following him that won’t leave him alone, perhaps for his peril. Walking through the many art galleries and desert landscapes of New Mexico, Akila realizes that there is much more behind art than just an aesthetic appreciation; peoples’ lives depend on it.