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The Contemporary Northwest Coast Indian Art Market

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The Contemporary Northwest Coast Indian Art Market THE CONTEMPORARY NORTHWEST COAST INDIAN ART MARKET By KAREN ERICA DUFFEK B.A., The University of British Columbia, 1978 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES Department of Anthropology and Sociology We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA April 1983 ©Karen Erica Duffek, 1983 In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the head of my department or by his or her representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. / Department of Anthropology and Sociology The University of British Columbia 1956 Main Mall Vancouver, Canada V6T 1Y3 Date April 11, 1983 )E-6 (3/81) ABSTRACT In the 1960's a revival of Northwest Coast Indian art began to take place in British Columbia, following several decades of decline in art production that resulted from effects of European contact on traditional native social structure. By the late 1970's the Indian art market had become a several million dollar industry, involving several hundred native artists, and supported by a primarily non-Indian consumer public. This thesis examines the contemporary Northwest Coast Indian art market in terms of the role and significance of the art within its contemporary social context, focusing on the relationship between the consumers and the art they collect. The history of the Indian art revival, the development of the market, changes that Northwest Coast art has undergone in response to its new purpose for production, and consumer expectations and buying preferences are discussed. This thesis shows that the revival of Northwest Coast art has involved not only the artists who create the contemporary work, but also the consumers, anthropologists, museums, and dealers, who have participated with the artists in a reconstruction and redefinition of "Indianness" and tradition, and in the development of an audience to support art production. Surveys of consumers and museum visitors conducted for the thesis suggest that an important and valued quality of contemporary Northwest Coast art is its "otherness" or Indianness. Today, Northwest Coast art traditions are used in a contemporary expression that refers to the value of tradition and heritage not only to the consumers, but to native society as well. The concept of acculturated arts is used in this study of Northwest Coast Indian art, providing a comparative context of changing art forms brought about by culture contact, and illustrating the transformation of traditional cultural elements into marketable commodities for non-native tourists and collectors. This thesis is a contribution to the literature on Northwest Coast Indian art in particular, and acculturated arts in general. - iv - TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ii LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF FIGURES ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENT xi INTRODUCTION 1 Notes 7 CHAPTER ONE - The Revival of Northwest Coast Indian Art 8 I - ART PRODUCTION ON THE NORTHWEST COAST PRE-1920 8 Art for Sale: Early Collectors on the Northwest Coast 10 II - ART PRODUCTION ON THE NORTHWEST COAST: 1920 to 1960 14 The Traditional Context 15 The Commercial Context 17 III - THE REVIVAL OF NORTHWEST COAST INDIAN ART: 1960 to the Present 27 IV - THE RECONSTRUCTION AND REINVENTION OF TRADITION 37 Use of Museum Collections 39 "Books are our teachers now for all the old things" 46 Memories 54 V - ART AS A VEHICLE FOR CULTURAL REVIVAL 55 Notes 59 CHAPTER TWO - Art for the Marketplace 61 I - ARTS OF ACCULTURATION 61 II - NORTHWEST COAST INDIAN ARTS AND CHANGING TRADITIONS 65 Use and Meaning 65 Materials and Techniques 69 Form and Subject Matter 71 III - TRADITION, INNOVATION, AND AUTHENTICITY 82 Artifakes and Archaism: "Traditional" Arts in a Contemporary Context 92 Notes 96 - v - CHAPTER THREE - The Marketing of Northwest Coast Indian Art 97 I - THE MARKET NETWORK 97 Market Differentiation 99 II- MARKETING AND PROMOTION 104 Marketing at the Producer Level 105 Marketing at the Retail Level 116 (i) Souvenirs 116 (ii) Arts and Crafts 118 (iii) Fine Arts 120 (iv) Market Strategies: Price, Reputation, and Saleability 124 Notes 133 CHAPTER FOUR - The Audience for Northwest Coast Indian Art: A Museum Visitor Survey 134 I - THE SURVEY 135 II - RESPONSES TO THE EXHIBIT 158 Demographic and Ownership Data 158 Words and Labels: Describing Northwest Coast Indian Arts 163 Responses to the Prints 169 Responses to the Carvings 188 The Context for the Arts: Viewer Responses 207 Summary 222 Notes 225 CHAPTER FIVE - The Consumers of Contemporary Northwest Coast Indian Art: A Questionnaire Survey 226 I - THE QUESTIONNAIRE 226 II - RESPONSES TO THE QUESTIONNAIRE 233 Demographic Data 233 Buying Tendencies and Patterns 237 Knowledge and Perceptions of Northwest Coast Art 251 Aesthetic and Buying Criteria 256 Summary 269 Notes 274 CONCLUSION 275 - vi - BIBLIOGRAPHY 286 List of Individuals Interviewed 295 APPENDIX I - A Selective Chronology of Events Significant to the Revival of Northwest Coast Indian Art and the Development of the Market 296 APPENDIX II - Vancouver and Victoria Retail Shops Specializing in Northwest Coast Indian Arts 302 APPENDIX III - Question Guide for Museum Visitor Survey 306 APPENDIX IV - Questionnaire for Consumer Survey 307 - vii - LIST OF TABLES Table Page I DEMOGRAPHIC DATA 159, 160 II OWNERSHIP DATA 161, 162 III WORDS DESCRIBING PRINTS AND CARVINGS 165 IV POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE RESPONSES TO PRINTS 170 V POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE QUALITIES OF PRINTS 172 VI POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE QUALITIES OF INDIVIDUAL PRINTS 175 - 179 VII POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE QUALITIES OF CARVINGS 190 VIII POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE RESPONSES TO CARVINGS 191 IX POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE QUALITIES OF INDIVIDUAL CARVINGS 194 - 198 X DEFINITION OF "AUTHENTIC" NORTHWEST COAST INDIAN ART 209 XI EFFECT OF THE MARKET ON NORTHWEST COAST INDIAN ART 214 XII MESSAGES PRESENTED THROUGH NORTHWEST COAST INDIAN ART 219 XIII QUESTIONNAIRE DISTRIBUTION AND RETURN 234 XIV DEMOGRAPHIC DATA 235, 236 XV YEAR OF FIRST PURCHASE OF NORTHWEST COAST INDIAN ART 238 XVI AMOUNT OF MONEY SPENT ON NORTHWEST COAST INDIAN ART 240 XVII NUMBER OF NORTHWEST COAST INDIAN ART FORMS PURCHASED 241 XVIII TYPE OF STORE AND LOCATION OF PURCHASE 243 IXX REASONS FOR PURCHASE OF CARVINGS AND PRINTS 246, 247 XX PURCHASE OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS (NON-NORTHWEST COAST) 250 - viii - Table Page XXI MEANS OF INTRODUCTION TO NORTHWEST COAST INDIAN ARTS 252 XXII WORDS ASSOCIATED WITH CONTEMPORARY NORTHWEST COAST INDIAN ARTS 253 XXIII FACTORS INFLUENCING PURCHASE DECISIONS 257, 258 XXIV QUALITIES AND SUBJECT MATTER DESIRED IN CARVINGS AND PRINTS 261, 262 - ix - LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 "Aah-See-Will, the Greedy Hunter" by Vernon Stephens, 1978. Silkscreen print. 75 2 "Salmon Fighting Upstream to Spawn" by Robert Sebastian, 1980. Silkscreen print. 75 3 "Butterflies" by Robert Davidson, 1977. Silkscreen print. 77 4 "Study" by Doug Cranmer, 1980. Acrylic on cedar. 77 5 "Ka-Ka-win-chealth" by Joe David, 1977. Silkscreen print. 79 6 "Barnacle" by Art Thompson, 1977. Silkscreen print. 81 7 "The Creation of Eve" by Roy Vickers, 1977. Silkscreen print. 81 8 "Reflections" by Robert Davidson, 1977. Silkscreen print. 126 9 "Memorial Rainbow Drum" by Joe David, 1977. Silkscreen print. 127 10 Exhibit of contemporary Northwest Coast Indian prints and carvings at the UBC Museum of Anthropology: location for the museum visitor survey. 137 11 "Sparrow" by Glen Rabena, 1979. Silkscreen print. 143 12 "Gambler Drum" by Joe David, 1980. Silkscreen print. 143 13 "Raven in the 20th Century" by Don Yeomans, 1979. Silkscreen print. 145 14 "Bent-Box Design" by Robert Davidson, 1978. Silkscreen print. 145 15 "Thunderbird Sisiutl" by Lloyd Wadhams, 1979. Silkscreen print. 146 16 "Welcome Canoe" by Art Thompson, 1978. Silkscreen print. 146 17 "Haida Hawk Design" by Freda Diesing, 1977. Silkscreen print. 148 18 "Spear Fishing" by Vernon Stephens, 1978. Silkscreen print. 148 19 "Chilkat Blackfish" by Roy Vickers, 1978. Silkscreen print. 149 - x - Figure Page 20 "Kwakiutl Wild Woman Mask" by George Matilpi, 1979. "Bella Coola Portrait Mask" by Beau Dick, 1977. "Owl Man" mask by Glen Rabena, 1978. 151 21 Totem pole by Frank Hanuse, 1979. 153 22 Totem pole by Bill Kuhnley, 1979. 153 23 "Halibut" dish by Glen Harper, 1979. 155 24 "Human/Beaver Dish" by Larry Rosso, 1979. 155 25 "Kwakiutl Sea Monster with Salmon" plaque by Bond Sound, 1979. 156 26 "Kwakiutl Salmon" plaque by George Matilpi, 1979. 157 27 "Salmon" letter opener by Wilf Stevenson, 1980. 157 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank all those individuals who encouraged and assisted me in the research and writing of this thesis; Dr. Michael M. Ames, my advisor during my graduate school career, for originally stimulating my interest in the contemporary Northwest Coast Indian art market, for his supervision and advice regarding this thesis, and for allowing me access to data on the Victoria and Seattle Indian art markets which I collected as his research assistant in 1981/82 (funded by the University of British Columbia's Committee on Humanities and Social Sciences Research Grants). I also wish to thank Dr. Ames for his continued interest in my work, and for offering me many opportunities to develop and apply my knowledge of Northwest Coast art and gain additional academic and practical experience related to my career. Dr. Marjorie Halpin and Dr. Elvi Whittaker, for their suggestions and comments regarding my thesis, and for their teaching and approaches to anthropology that have influenced and benefited me in my own studies. The many individuals I interviewed for the purposes of this thesis (see list following bibliography), who contributed greatly to my understanding of the Indian art market.
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