The archival films of 20th-century anthropologist Franz Boas record critical fragments of cultural intellectual property and creative expressions. A UW scholar and curator working together with members of the Kwagu’ł First Nation seeks to re-integrate recordings of Kwagu’ł crafts, games and dancing from the 1930s into proper relations with their cultural context and histories.

Free event. Reception to follow in the Walker Ames Room.

Tom Child, Namsgamk’ala is a member of the Kwakiutl (Kwagiulth) First Nation from Fort Rupert. He is a drum carrier for the head of his family, Chief Namugwis George Hunt and active in the ongoing Potlatch and Canoe traditions of the Kwakwaka’wakw. Tom is a student of both Indigenous cultural knowledge and Western Science studying biology and environmental studies at the University of Victoria. Striving to, “walk in both worlds”, he works in tourism and education, as well as work within the ongoing Title and Rights fight for reconciliation of First Nations communities in British Columbia.

Kathryn Bunn-Marcuse is the curator of Northwest Native art and director of the Bill Holm Center for the Study of Northwest Native Art at the Burke Museum, and assistant professor of art history at the University of Washington. Her publications focus on the indigenization of European-American imagery, 19th-century Northwest Coast jewelry and other body adornment, and the filmic history of the Kwakwaka’wakw. As well, she tracks the practices of contemporary artists and how they are informed by the artistry of previous generations. In her role as curator, she collaborates with First Nations communities and artists to identify research priorities and to activate the Burke Museum’s holdings in ways that are responsive to cultural revitalization efforts.

About the Series

Established in 1990, the biennial Anne Gould Hauberg Libraries Artist Images Series celebrates prominent artists or art professionals from the Pacific Northwest. The event is presented in partnership with the UW Alumni Association and is supported by the Anne Gould Hauberg Endowed Library Fund.