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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.
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A magnificent turn-of-the-century Haida hat
This is an exceptionally finely woven Haida spruce-root hat, c. 1910, painted in red, black and blue with a large bird, presumably an eagle or a raven. The head is at the front brim, the tail feathers are fanned dramatically at the rear brim, and the sides depict the wings. The crown of the hat is woven in a very tight plain weave, but the brim has elaborate zigzag patterns woven in. This hat is in pristine condition, even though it is a hundred years old.
 
See Bill Holm, "The Box of Daylight: Northwest Coast Indian Art," (Seattle Art Museum and University of Washington Press, 1983), pp. 47-49 ("Hats finely woven in conical form are a cultural feature shared by tribes all along the Northwest Coast . . . [T]he conical woven hat is a natural development from a highly developed basketry technology and the needs of people on the rainy coast; its very early existence is proven by similar hats recovered from precontact archeological sites. Finely woven hats are marvelous aesthetic accomplishments in themselves, but they become artistically important through surface decoration applied by painting or woven in at the time of making. Basically functional, hats were also important in the ceremonial life of Northwest Coast peoples, and certain ones achieved the status of crests, every bit as esteemed as their carved-wood counterparts."
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Continuing in the gallery:
Women of the Kivalliq and Kitikmeot
This exhibition features the work of 24 women from communities west of Hudson's Bay: Arviat, Baker Lake, Coppermine, Rankin Inlet and Taloyoak. The works span the media that were available in the area: sculptures, original drawings, prints, wall hangings and one ceramic piece.
The works cluster around two themes: the intimacy of family relationships, and shamanism.
Family relationships dominate the carvings in two senses. First, most of the carvings depict family groupings. Second, the 24 artists include two sets of mother-daughter pairs.
The graphics and textiles represent a vivid and emphatic departure from the restrained carvings. The theme of shamanism is developed with vigor. Shamanism is not distinct from the families featured in the carvings; the shaman has a family, complete with children and extended relatives. Shamanism is part of the "normal" world.
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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. We also have a selection of books that will enhance your appreciation of your collection.
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 1:30 - 6:00 pm, but it's always a good idea to call or email in advance in case we have an appointment out of the gallery.
Visit our website
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