A Coast Salish visual artist will have three signature pieces on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City until next year.

A release for the exhibit, called Grounded by Our Roots, noted that Snuneymuxw and Hupacasath artist Eliot White-Hill, Kwulasultun, was chosen as one of five up-and-coming Indigenous artists who draw inspiration from their cultural traditions. The exhibit, located in the Northwest Coast Hall of the museum, features 13 pieces of paintings, prints, clothing and sculptures that B次元官网网址渟howcase contemporary Indigenous art inspired by rich visual arts traditions of the Northwest Coast.B次元官网网址�

Of those 13 pieces, three were previously presented by White-Hill within the last three years.

The artistB次元官网网址檚 painting titled We Fell From the Sky/Together and Apart is mixed media on birch panel that depicts a main Snuneymuxw creation story, and was originally designed for the Huli uB次元官网网址檛u stalu岷�/Riverbed group art exhibit at the Nanaimo Art Gallery in 2021.

A screen print of White-HillB次元官网网址檚 was also added to the collection, titled Through the Spindle/Other Whorlds, that plays with the idea of spindle whorls through abstract and contemporary Coast Salish design.

And the final piece of White-HillB次元官网网址檚 added was the sculpture titled AncestorB次元官网网址檚 Hands, made of pizza box cardboard and based on an archaeological dig that took place roughly 40 years ago B次元官网网址� and is also closely connected to the Nanaimo Museum called B次元官网网址榃hat is Sacred?B次元官网网址� exhibit curated by the artist last year.

Although White-Hill is honoured to be a part of the display, he said it left him with mixed feelings.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a huge honour to have my art shared on this stage and chosen amongst all the up-and-coming artist of the Northwest Coast who couldB次元官网网址檝e been chosen B次元官网网址� ItB次元官网网址檚 also complex, having my art in the Northwest Coast Hall too. Because while I made my art and meant it to be shared publicly and to help celebrate our culture and teachings and help educate people, but a lot of the objects (at the museum) were made for ceremony, and they were made for use in their community and by the people who made them. And they didnB次元官网网址檛 arrive in New York in a good way,B次元官网网址� he said.

Also participating in the exhibit were artists Hawilkwala艂 Rebecca Baker-Grenier, Alison Bremner Naxhshagheit, SGidGang.Xaal Shoshannah Greene and NashB次元官网网址檓eneB次元官网网址檛aB次元官网网址檔aht Atheana Picha.

Grounded by Our Roots will show at the American Museum of Natural History until June 2025.

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