The Monumental gallery displays temporary exhibits, alternating between thematic displays from the museum’s collection and art works and artifacts on loan from private collections. Overlooking the harbour, the ancient and modern home of the Tsimshian, this spacious gallery allows the visitor to contemplate great works of Northwest Coast art in their original environment.
A carved antler club and shaman’s healing figure
Currently in the Monumental Gallery, Iconic and Crest Images in Tsimshian Art, features great works of Tsimshian, Haida and Nisga’ art spanning the centuries from the early 1800s to the present. The exhibit explores the meanings behind the crest carvings of Killerwhale, Raven, Eagle, and Bear, and the iconic abstract designs woven in robes and painted on bent cedar boxes. It especially highlights the unchanging spirit and sophistication of Northwest Coast art.
Intertwined figures on a carved argillite box by Marcel Russ