Submitted by the San Juan Islands Museum of Art

The San Juan Islands Museum of Art presents the iconic Bill Holm — expert, painter, carver, performer, museum curator, teacher, mentor, and chief. Holm has enriched the understanding of Northwest Coast First Nation art and culture and has devoted his life to perpetuating these rich traditions. The talk will be at 7 p.m., Aug. 8 at Brickworks in Friday Harbor. This presentation is one of the Art As A Voice interpretive programs, which accompany SJIMA’s exhibitions. Holm will discuss Northwest art, his adventures and the culture of the First Nations, including the carving of the canoe Kwigwatsi, which is currently on display at SJIMA in the exhibition “Emergence Legendary and Emerging First Nation Artists.” Holm is personal friends with many of the artists in the exhibition. Holm is curator emeritus of Northwest Indian art at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle. His lectures at the University of Washington were among the most popular and brought a number of artists into their own practice of Northwest Coast art.

As an author, his seminal book, “Northwest Coast Indian Art: An Analysis of Form,” is the standard text in the field. His eight books have won acclaim and recognition with Washington State Governor’s Writers Awards, and two special Governor’s awards. As an artist, his works were celebrated in the book “Sun Dogs and Eagle Down: The Indian Paintings of Bill Holm,” by Lloyd J. Averill and Steven C. Brown. At Camp Nor’wester on Lopez and Jones Island, Holm regaled the kids with the dance, culture and legends of the Northwest Coastal First Nations. Mungo Martin, one of the 20th century’s most distinguished carvers, came annually to the camp with a group of the Kwakwaka’wakw.

“Martin gave Bill the name, Ho’miskanis [Plenty of Everything, literally, Surplus Food from the River], the name by which Bill is called at Kwakwaka’wakw potlatches,” states Averill in “A Man from Roundup: The Life and Times of Bill Holm.” “Still another of his names is Tlalelitla [Continually Inviting], given by Chiefs Bill Scow, Henry Bell, and Joe Seaweed. Marty Holm had also won the affectionate respect of the Kwakwaka’wakw people, become a highly skilled dancer, and was given one of Abayah Martin’s Winter Dance names, Heligaxstegalis, which means ‘Taming [the Hamtasa] Everywhere.’ At the 1959 Turnour Island potlatch Martin gave Marty the name, Dladlawikagilakw [Ready to Stand Up] for her family in potlatching.”

Holm’s wife, Marty and daughter, Carla will also be attending the SJIMA talk. Martin gave the name Tsekelilakw (Ready to Give the Winter Ceremonial) to Carla. Holm has been recognized with major consultancies, including the Field Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian, and the Peabody Museum at Harvard. In 2001, he was honored with a certificate of appreciation from the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people of Southeast Alaska through the Sealaska Heritage Institute.

Tickets are available from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday through Monday at 540 Spring St. or at www.sjima.org. “Space available” tickets are sold at the door at 6:45 p.m. Tickets are $25, $20 for members, $15 students. For info, call 370-5050.

Contbited photo/Matt Pranger This canoe is currently featured in the San Juan Islands Museum of Art exhibition “Emergence Legendary and Emerging First Nation Artists.”