The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia is a fascinating place. Recently expanded and renovated it is now able to display literally thousands of objects, without being nearly as large as many of the museums that we are used to in the UK and across Europe.
The museum provides lots of information about the First Nations people of Canada, and displays a large number of incredibly detailed, beautiful totem poles, both inside and outside.
Currently the museum is home to two fascinating visiting exhibitions: one of works by Charles and Isabella Edenshaw, two First Nations artists who worked at the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, producing Haida art in the form of silver bracelets and painted basketry. The other exhibition is Inuit Prints inspired by Japanese art. It’s really interesting to see the two styles side by side, and the progression of style as the Inuit people became more familiar with the process.
One of the main things that we noticed as we progressed through the museum was the number of faces and masks. Below are some of my favourites.
All pictures courtesy of Mike, my camera didn’t like the low light.
