Marianne Nicholson Presentation

Marianne Nicholson (‘Tayagila’ogwa) shares her research on the role carved work plays in our ancestral governance systems and the impact European trade relations have on how we ‘value’ the carving arts today. Marianne’s lengthy historic perspective allows us to retrace our steps and better understand how vast collections of ancestral items ended up on the marketplace and into museum display. Marianne’s creative work invites us to reconsider our definition of “art” but also how we think of our relationship to land, waters, and Indigenous resurgence. “My work stems from a strong belief in the value of Indigenous philosophies and ways of being on the land. My practice is an attempt to manifest these philosophies into contemporary spaces and conversations.”

Artist bio: Marianne Nicholson (‘Tayagila’ogwa) is a multi-disciplinary artist and ancestral scholar of Scottish and Dzawada’enuxw First Nations descent.  The Dzwada’enuxw People come from Gwa’yi (Kingcome) River and are a part of the Kwakwaka’wakw Nations of the Pacific Northwest Coast.  Her training encompasses both traditional Kwakwaka’wakw forms and culture and Western European based art practice.  She has completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emily Carr University of Art and Design (1996), a Masters in Fine Arts (1999), a Masters in Linguistics and Anthropology (2005) and a PhD in Linguistics and Anthropology (2013) at the University of Victoria. Almost 10 years ago Marianne pushed her creative voice into the public arena by painting a 40 ft pictograph of a copper shield on the side of a cliff at the mouth of Kingcome Inlet (her home community). She hasn’t held back since, exhibiting her artwork locally, nationally and internationally as a painter, photographer and installation artist. Her practice engages with issues of First Nation’s histories and politics arising from a passionate involvement in cultural revitalization and the active envisioning of long term sustainability for coastal communities.

Scroll through the images above to view some of Marianne's past artistic work.