SHI PUBLISHES BOOK ON THE MUSINGS, ART, WISDOM OF HAIDA MASTER ARTIST ROBERT DAVIDSON
Book available through institute’s Box of Knowledge series
April 17, 2024
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) has published a book on the musings, art and wisdom of master Haida craftsman Robert Davidson, one of the greatest Northwest Coast artists of our time.
The book, “Art of the Northwest Coast and Beyond,” offers Davidson’s teachings embedded in powerful messages, which go beyond art instruction to offer advice about daily life. The volume is punctuated with stunning samples of work by Davidson, who learned Northwest Coast art by studying the creations of old masters held by museums throughout North America and Europe.
“The wise lessons he offers through his writings are jewels learned and conveyed from the art of the ancient masters and from the wisdom of our ancestors,” wrote SHI President Rosita Wor, Ph.D., in the foreword for the book. “We thought it important that they be compiled in a format that could be widely available to artists, students and the public.”
Davidson wrote these lessons for practicing and budding artists and often emailed his musings to Worl. SHI initially shared his thoughts through its social media channels, where they were immediately well received and widely read.
In the book, he touches on a variety of topics, including encouragement, criticism, excellence in Northwest Coast art, the secrets of good design and the proportions of formline design, a term that describes the shapes and complex arrangements which form the balanced compositions that are a hallmark of Northwest Coast arts.
He also explores the idea of copying formline design from pieces made by the old masters, noting that this is one way to become familiar with the high standard established by the ancestors before an artist moves on to innovation.
“Once one masters the alphabet of Northwest Coast art, the challenge is to move beyond copying and make the art yours. After 10,000 hours of practice and copying, then intuition kicks in,” Davidson wrote.
Davidson also talks about societal challenges from a Haida worldview and interweaves Haida words and translations throughout the book.
The volume was published through SHI’s Box of Knowledge series and is available through its Sealaska Heritage Store.
About Robert Davidson
G̱uud San Glans (Robert Davidson) is one of Canada’s most respected and important contemporary artists. Davidson, whose name translates as Eagle of the Dawn, is Haida of the T’saahl 7lanaas clan.
He is a master carver of totem poles and masks and works in a variety of other media as a printmaker, painter and jeweler. He is also a leading figure in the renaissance of Haida art and culture. Davidson is best known as an impeccable craftsman whose creative and personal interpretation of traditional Haida form is unparalleled.
For more than 40 years, Davidson has worked as an artist and has produced an internationally acclaimed body of work. His work is found in a number of important private and public collections, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Canadian Museum of History, the Southwest Museum, the Gordon Smith Gallery, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Museum of the American Indian and UBC’s Museum of Anthropology. He holds honorary degrees from the University of Victoria, Simon Fraser University, Southern Methodist University and the Emily Carr University of Art + Design. He has received awards from the cities of Vancouver and Surrey, British Columbia, and recognition for lifetime achievement from the National Aboriginal Achievement Award (now the Indspire Awards), the Audain Prize for the Visual Arts and the BC Achievement First Nations Art Award. He is also a recipient of the Order of British Columbia and, in 1996, was appointed to the prestigious Order of Canada. In 2024, the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska honored him with its Lifetime Achievement award.
About Box of Knowledge
SHI’s Box of Knowledge Series consists of essays, reports and books that the institute considers should be made available as a contribution to studies on Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures, history and languages. They may be based on work carried out by researchers working in collaboration with SHI, contributions prepared by external experts and work by staff. Those interested in publishing through the series should contact SHI’s Senior Ethnologist Chuck Smythe at chuck.smythe@sealaska.com.
Sealaska Heritage Institute is a private nonprofit founded in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska. Its goal is to promote cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding through public services and events. SHI also conducts scientific and public policy research that promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history and education statewide. The institute is governed by a Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars, a Native Artist Committee and a Southeast Regional Language Committee.
CONTACT: Kathy Dye, SHI Communications and Publications Deputy Director, 907.321.4636, kathy.dye@sealaska.com. Robert Davidson, Haida master artist, robert@robertdavidson.ca.
Caption: Cover of “Art of the Northwest Coast and Beyond” featuring the piece “Looking Back At Where We Came From” by Robert Davidson, photographed by Kenji Nagai. Note: news outlets are welcome to use this photo of the book cover for coverage of this story. For a higher-res version, contact kathy.dye@sealaska.com.