|
|
|
Dear friends,
Please visit us in person or online to see our new acquisitions. Of course, we can only highlight a fraction of our selections in newsletters and on the website. If you are looking for a particular artist, subject or community, please contact us and we will be happy to assist you.
|
|
Views from the North:
Drawings from Cape Dorset
EXTENDED through March 30, 2014
For the first time, Alaska on Madison presents an exhibition of original one-of-a-kind drawings from Cape Dorset. Views from the North: Drawings from Cape Dorset has been extended through March 30.
Cape Dorset drawings have evolved from being merely the starting point for prints to being fully realized works. Through their drawings, the younger generation of artists is grappling with current issues, like global warming and the relationship between traditional ways and 21st century reality.
Qavavau Manumie's untitled landscape (above) presents a tranquil summer view from Cape Dorset. Ningeokuluk Teevee's Animal Spirits (below) combines the iconic Arctic birds -- owl, loon, raven -- and animals -- bear and caribou -- with Sedna and other spirits through masterful use of negative space.
You can preview the exhibit here.
|
|
Northern bowls
The Yup'ik bowl is made of wood that has been steamed and bent into a graceful oval form. The bottom is decorated with an "x-ray" picture of a seal, showing its skeleton. In Inua, Spirit World of the Bering Sea Eskimo, the authors say: "Food bowls and trays are often fashioned by steaming a thin, grooved slab of wood, intended to be the vessel wall, into the desired shape. Once formed, the ends are stitched together with willow or spruce root, or pegged with wood. The bottom of the tray is then carved into a slightly larger diameter and snapped into the groove by pushing with the heel of the hand or foot." The dishes "are often decorated with mythological and supernatural creatures, their ribs and entrails showing, and their mouths set in toothy grins."
The Northwest Coast bowl has operculums around the rim, and has carved ridges around the edge. It does not have any other decoration, but its deep patina and beautiful proportions do not need any elaboration. The operculum, meaning little lid, is like a trapdoor which exists in many groups of snails. It is attached to the upper surface of the foot and closes the opening of the shell when the animal is inside. |
|
|
We can help you build your library
 We have a selection of books that will enhance your appreciation of your collection. They include cornerstones like George Swinton's seminal "Sculpture of the Inuit," Leslie Boyd Ryan's comprehensive "Cape Dorset Prints: A Retrospective," Aldona Jonaitis' excellent survey "Art of the Northwest Coast," and Alan Wardwell's definitive "Ancient Eskimo Ivories of the Bering Strait." They also include a number of published collections and more specialized books. For a complete list, click here. |
|
|
About Us
Alaska on Madison is a gallery of indigenous art of Alaska and Canada run by collectors for collectors. We feature Inuit art of the twentieth and twenty-first century Canadian Arctic, two-thousand-year-old objects from the Old Bering Sea cultures, and nineteenth century art from the Northwest Coast peoples and Yup'ik Eskimos. Our collection ranges from museum-quality works to more modest but still excellent works for private collectors, whether novice or sophisticated.
Baffled by syllabic signatures? Learn how to interpret them by using our guide, Deciphering Inuktitut Signatures, and our Inuit Artist Search Tool.
Regular gallery hours are Tuesday - Saturday 1:00 - 6:30 pm, but please check with us first if you are planning to arrive late in the day (see personal note above).
Visit our website
|
|
More ways to connect with Alaska on Madison
|
|
|
|
|
|
