Norman Tait
Norman Tait | |
---|---|
Born | Kincolith (Gingolx) on the Nass River in BC | May 20, 1941
Died | May 21, 2016 | (aged 75)
Nationality | Nisga'a First Nations |
Known for | sculptor |
Norman Tait (May 20, 1941 – May 21, 2016[1]) was a Nisga'a First Nations sculptor and totem pole carver from northwestern British Columbia, Canada.
Background
Norman Tait was born in
Tait was a member of the House of Luuya'as of the Laxsgiik (Eagle clan) and holds or has held the hereditary titles Na'ax-lax, Gawaakhl, and Naawootkw Lik'inskw lax galts'ap, the last meaning "Grizzly Bear Coming onto the Village."
Tait attended residential school in Alberta and later completed high school in Prince Rupert, British Columbia.[1]
Art career
When he began carving in 1970, Tait sought out Nisga'a artifacts that he could study since there were no living Nisga'a master carvers for him to study. He worked with his father to raise the first Nisga'a totem pole in over 50 years.[1] He later studied under the tutelage of the Haida carvers Freda Diesing and Gerry Marks.
During his career as a carver, Tait carved 39 totem poles.
He carved
Tait had a breakthrough in 1977 when the
Tait was known for the realistic detailing of his sculptured carving, moon masks, two-dimensional doors, and jewellery.
Tait worked with his carving partner, Lucinda Turner. He began teaching Turner in 1991, and they subsequently collaborated on many carvings, including two major commissions for the Vancouver Stock Exchange.[3] They also opened the working art gallery, Wilp's Tsaak Gallery: House of the Mischievous Man in West Vancouver.
In 2015, the West Vancouver Museum held a retrospective on Tait's work, his first solo exhibition since 1977.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d "Renowned Nisga'a carver Norman Tait dies at 75". CBC News. 25 May 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
- ^ a b c "Norman Tait exhibit celebrates work of master Nisga'a artist". Retrieved 27 May 2016.
- ^ a b "Norman Tait (1941- ), Nisga'a artist biography and portfolio". Retrieved 27 May 2016.
References
- Jensen, Doreen, and Polly Sargent, Robes of Power: Totem Poles on Cloth (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1986).
- Macnair, Peter L., Alan L. Hoover, and Kevin Neary, The Legacy: Tradition and Innovation in Northwest Coast Indian Art (Vancouver, BC: Douglas & McIntyre, 1984).