Angela Marston Art & Design

The 2017 Canadian Biennial is the fourth installment in the National Gallery of Canada’s recurring showcase of its most recent acquisitions of contemporary art (2014–2017), spanning work by Canadian, Indigenous, and—for the first time—international artists. It marks a milestone by expanding beyond national borders and highlighting the increasingly global and inclusive nature of its collection

This beautifully curated volume documents how artists from the southern Northwest Coast are innovating across traditional and contemporary media—bringing new life to age-old stories and craft forms through monumental works, glass, textiles, carving, and wearable art.

“This SMASH exhibition showcased the works of Salish, Mi’kmaq, Alaskan, Southwestern, and Hawaiian artists through the medium of weaving and brought together 16 artists and over 60 works of art from the five regions.

Several artists collaborated with Andy MacDougall and Wachiay Studio to create a new piece of art, which comments on the practice of printmaking. Without the framework of the art market to guide the design and content of the work, the artists were asked to imagine innovative ways that the practice and technology of printing could push their practice in new directions. 

Organized by the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, the touring exhibition Record, (Re)create: Contemporary Coast Salish Art from the Salish Weave Collection showcased a selection of works by 14 artists of Coast Salish ancestry from the Salish Weave Collection, a private art collection held in British Columbia.