Namaxsala (To Travel in a Boat Together) - Gatineau, Québec
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Weathervane
N 45° 25.755 W 075° 42.484
18T E 444611 N 5030880
Namaxsala (To Travel in a Boat Together) is a sculpture by Kkwakwaka'wakw artist Mary Ann Barkhouse. The copper, bronze and stainless steel sculpture is of a canoe in which a wolf is sitting. It is located at the Museum of Civilization, in Gatineau.
Waymark Code: WMJJEX
Location: Québec, Canada
Date Posted: 11/24/2013
Views: 16
A plaque next to the sculpture reads as follows:
Mary Ann Barkhouse, Kkwakwaka'wakw
(B.1961 VANCOUVER)
Namaxsala (To Travel in a Boat Together) 2013
Copper, Bronze, Stainless Steel, Stones
Collection of the Canadian Museum of Civilization
Namaxala is inspired by a story told to the artist, Mary Ann Barkhouse, by her grandfather, Fred Cook. In the story, her grandfather helps a wolf cross a treacherous piece of water, in a boat, on the West Coast of Canada. "My grandfather's stories always offered an alternative view for considering the world around me," the artist remembers. "And so, I relate one fo them here, to help negotiate cooperation with the 'other' and inclusion of the wild".
'Namaxsala reflects on human relationships with the natural world. The choice of copper and bronze speaks simultaneously to Kwakwaka'wakw tradition and contemporary ingenuity. The sculpture also connects with the totem pole and houses installed in the Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
Mary Ann Barkhouse is descended from a long line of internationally recognized Kwakwaka'wakw artists, including Ellen Neel, Mungo Martin and Charlie James. Her mixed media artwork has been exhibited widely throughout Canada and internationally.
Title: Namaxsala (To Travel in a Boat Together)
Artist: Mary Ann Barkhouse
Placement Date: 2013
Type of Object: Canoe and Wolf
Location: Next to a museum
Material: Copper, bronze, stainless steel and stones
Website: Not listed
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