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CONTEMPORARY ABORIGINAL ART TEXTS: INTERSECTIONS OF VISUAL CULTURE ANDREA NAOMI WALSH A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies in partial fuifilhnent of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Programme in Social Anthropology York University North York, Ontario September 2000 National Library Bibliothèque nationale ($1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, nie Wellington Ottawa ON K 1A ON4 Ottawa ON K1A ON4 canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive licence dowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantid extracts fkom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. CONTEMPORARY ABORI GINAL ART TEXTS : INTERSECTIONS OF VISUAL CULTURE by Andrea Naomi WALSH a dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of York University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of OOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY 02000 Permission has been granted to the LIBRARY OF YORK UNIVERSITY to fend or seIl copies of this dissertation, to the NATIONAL LIBRARY OF CANADA to microfilm this disserlation and to lend or seIl copies of the film, and to UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS to publish an abstract of this dissertation. The author reserves other publication rights, and neither the dissertation nor extensive extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's written permission. ABSTRACT This dissertation provides a textual analysis of the visual politics of production and reception of modem aboriginal art in Canada. Two predicvnents provide departure points for this analysis. The first concerns how Native artists in Canada express their identity through visual art based on notions of 'space' and 'place.' The second concerns the consumption of the identities of these artists and their art via processes of interculturd spectatorship docurnented in art exhibition catalogues and artworld discourse. The analysis is performed dong theinterdependent critical paths under the headings Citingkext, Sighting/subjectivity, and Siting/place. The chapters written under these headings chronicle slippage in ethnographie writing about aboriginal art that can be identified through processes of vision and visuality. In particular this slippage occurs through the formation of subjectivity, the critique of objectivity, the circulation of signs of aboriginality, alternative visuai strategies, the use of technology in art, and transnational flows of modem art and cultural property. The discussion explores fields of written art texts, vision, and sense of place as they work on each other to produce cultural texts on aboriginal art. Such texts evoke representational as well as materialist practices in aboriginal art worlds. These modes of ethnographic inquiry explore multiple textualities focused upon the production and reception of visual images and textuai signs. This analysis of aboriginal art provokes questions about how visuai culture is represented in modem ethnographic writing. The dissertation seeks to re-fashion the manner in which aboriginal modem art is represented, and reproduced, through anthropological analysis. By taking this particuiar approach to textuai analysis, I argue for new ways of reading cnticd texts about art and, subsequently, seeing art us tex? as a valuable form of cultural critique. 1 would like to th& and acknowledge rny supervisor, Dr. Kenneth Littie, for the encouragement and patience he has show me over the years 1 have been his student. Ken's enthusiasrn for new ways of thinking about visual culture dways inspire me to press on with working out tough issues and questions. This skill I have been taught will transcend academic boundaries. 1 would also like to thank the members of my cornmittee, Naorni Adelson and Brenda Longfellow for their fnendly guidance and thoughtful cornments during the process of Mting this dissertation. Naomi was very helpful during my coursework by working on a reading course with me about modern art, which was essentially the start of the research for this dissertation. Brenda has show me that it is possible to make images and be a cntical thinker; her work as a filmmaker and as an academic has been particularly inspiring for me as an academic who is also trained in studio arts. This work would not have been possible, however, if it were not for the artists who graciously and generously gave me their time (and slides!) to taîk about their art and lives. To the artists, 1 Say thank you. niey are, in no particular order, Jeff Thomas, Shelley Niro, Dana Claxton, Marianne Nicolson, Mary Longman, Mary Anne Barkhouse, Ardiur Renwick, Greg Staats, Patricia Deadman, Edward Poitras, Robert Houle, Rebecca Baird, Francis Dick, and Frank Shebagaget. Special acknowledgement aiso goes to Dr. Gerald McMaster who has truly been a mentor for nearly ten years of my development in thinking about modem art and culture. 1 have benefited greatly fiom his tirne, patience, and inspiring conversations. I have had tremendous support fiom my family for doing this degree. 1 would particdarly say thank you for lots of Iaughter through the tougher parts of writing to my dad, Dr. William Walsh, for teaching me how to write a draft (again and again), my mother Keitha for it was her suggestion that 1 take Dr. Victoria Wyatt's History in Art course on Native art at the University of Victoria, which brought my attention to this subject, and my brother Shawn (a very talented artist himself) for his fnendship. A very warm and hedelt thank you goes to Gordon Fraser who provided me with al1 of life's cornforts while I wrote this dissertation and who has been an infinite source of support and fiiendship over the last five years. Of course I could not pass thanking rny furst family, Blackberry and S.panki, their presence always makes me a happy person. Many &ends and colleagues have helped me get to the point of writing this dissertation. Of these people, 1 want to mention in paticular Shelley Butler and Marisha Roman. "Cross country coffees" with Shelley kept me going for the last two yean. Marisha has been my oasis outside of school; she is a person who inspires me to think of life outside of the context of projects like this dissertation. Finaily, 1 could not have finished this dissertation in the way I have without the support and encouragement I have had firom the anthropology department at the University of Victoria where 1now teach. I want to mention in particular, Peter Stephenson, Eric Roth, and Quentin 'Bobo' Mackie (my 'uber-colleague' ), and Marie Page, ouadministrative assistant who was always there to organize my life when 1 most needed it! Finally, I would like to thank John Schofield, Dean of Social Sciences for the Research grant that enabled me to complete the lm leg of fieldwork during my fust year at UVic. This work was fhded in part by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and York University Student fellowships. The monies 1 received were greatly appreciated and without which this project wouid have been difficult to complete. Andrea Walsh September 2000. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page .................................................................................................. i Copyright Page ..................................***...~....*.............*.........*.*.......**,,......11..... Certificate Page ..................................................................................... 111 Abstract ..................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements .................................................................................. vi... Table of Contents ..................................................................................... VIII List of Figures ........................................................................................... ix Preface ...................................................................................................... xi INTRODUCTION: Chapter 1 : Intersecting Fields Of Culture: Vision, Place And Art ........... 1 Chapter 2: Reading Native Art Texts: Approach and Analysis in Anthropology and Art History .............................................................. 33 Chapter 3: Active Vision in Artists' Penonal Narratives and Institutional Texts .................................................................................. 80 Chapter 4: From Lines and Light: Subjectivity and the Body in Photography and Film ............................................................................ 123 Chapter 5: Visuaiizing Place: RepresenthgReproducing the Northwest Coast in Modem Art ..................................................................... 185 CONCLUSION: Chapter 6: Re-visioning and De-territonalizing First