White Raven Spotted in Our Nation’s Capital
by Dawn Foxcroft
On May 28th/29th, 2009 I installed the exhibit “How We Are, How We Want to Be” in the Nuu-chah-nulth House at the Canadian Museum of Civilization (CMC). The exhibit is a photo retrospective of Bob Soderlund’s collection while he worked for the Ha-Shilth-Sa (Nuu-chah-nulth Newspaper) during the early 70’s to mid 90’s.
The photos are a window into Nuu-chah-nulth people’s lives, homes and communities. The images speak about politics, sports, culture and fishing. Originally shown and created for the Alberni Valley Museum in September of 2007, the exhibit has since traveled around Vancouver Island, and was displayed at the Wikanninish Interpretive Centre in Tofino, The Bamfield Marine Science Centre and at the Campbell River Museum. After having an impact around the Island we thought that we should share this important Nuu-chah-nulth story, spread our wings and fly to Ottawa.
To show the exhibit in the Nuu-chah-nulth House at the CMC, the exhibit had to be completely redesigned. Our team worked tirelessly to create new panels, rewrite text and lay out the exhibit to fit the space and meet CMC standards without ever stepping into the space during the process. The final product turned out beautifully.
The CMC has a very talented staff who were really fantastic to work with. Showing Bob’s beautiful photos in this space will give 1.3 million visitors from all over the world an opportunity learn about Nuu-chah-nulth people and allow them to have a peek into our communities and lives.
The exhibit is also a great addition to the Grand Hall, which houses the Northwest Coast First Nation story, because it shows Nuu-chah-nulth and First Nations as a contemporary people: political, cultural and thriving.
If you are ever in Ottawa, come and check out our exhibit in theNuu-chah-nulth House at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
