An exploration of first nations artists in Alert Bay, BC : connecting to the art market from home ...

• Main Author: Neufeld, Margaret Rachel McKellin
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2009
• Subjects: First Nations
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0091983; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0091983

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 ...