The National Museum of Scotland will return a memorial pole it has displayed since 1930 to the Nisga'a Nation. A Nisga'a delegation travelled to Edinburgh in August to ask for the return of the House of Ni'isjoohl memorial pole. The request was approved by the museum's board of trustees and subsequently the cabinet secretary for the constitution, external affairs and culture. Carver Oyea Tait and assistant carver, Gwanes, created the pole, a memorial for Ts'aawit, a Nisga'a chief, in 1855. It originally stood in front of the house of Ts'aawit’s relatives in Ank'idaa village on the Nass River in northern British Columbia. The Nisga'a say the pole was taken without their consent by ethnographer Marius Barbeau in 1929. Sim'oogit Ni'isjoohl, Chief Earl Stephens, said the Nisga'a believe the pole is alive with the spirit of their ancestor. "After nearly 100 years, we are finally able to bring our dear relative home to rest on Nisga'a lands. It means so much for us to have the Ni'isjoohl memorial pole returned to us, so that we can connect our family, nation and our future generations with our living history." For more information, go here.
The Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton has received $1 million from Maggie and John Mitchell. It will be directed to a new legacy endowment fund, established to mark the gallery's 100th anniversary in 2024. Gallery director Catherine Crowston hopes to raise $20 million for the endowment fund with the goal of ensuring the gallery's long-term financial stability. For more information, go here.
The Calgary-based Exposure Photography Festival has announced its 2023 program. The non-profit festival kicks off Feb. 2 at Contemporary Calgary, and will run for the rest of the month, with exhibitions and events in Calgary, Banff, Canmore, Edmonton and elsewhere. The exhibitions will include a broad range of works from photographers and artists from Canada, France, Greece, Iceland, Japan, Great Britain, the Netherlands and the United States. For details, go here.
Vancouver's Elan Fine Art Gallery has been rebranded as the Paul Kyle Gallery. After nearly five decades in business, owner Paul Kyle has decided to use his name for the gallery, which handles contemporary and historical art. Along with the name change, Kyle also announced expanded programming. The gallery is located at 4-258 East 1st Ave. For information, visit the gallery's new website.
The Galt Museum in Lethbridge, Alta., is deaccessioning 195 personal items, such as clothing, jewelry and shoes, from its collection. Some will be used in hands-on events and classes, others will go to other public institutions and the remainder will be sold with proceeds used to care for the collection. "Collecting and conserving artifacts, like history itself, is never static – it is a process that evolves over time and museum best-practices dictate that it should be re-examined regularly," the Galt said. Staff assessed objects that do not fit within the museum's mandate of preserving the human history of the area. To learn more, visit here.
