In recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Emily Carr University is inviting the public to experience the ‘Pacific Song of the Ancestors’ totem pole, a breathtaking new art installation by Master Carvers Dempsey Bob, Stan Bevan and Lyonel Grant. On September 29, an accompanying art exhibition articulating the pole’s journey will be open to the public from 7:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
The collaborative work by Master Carvers Dempsey Bob (Tahltan-Tlingit), Stan Bevan (Tahltan-Tlingit and Tsimshian) and Lyonel Grant (Māori and Pakeha) began nearly a decade ago and embodies the spirit of community building, Indigenous interrelationships and reverence for the diverse Indigenous cultures within B.C. and beyond.
The project is rooted in a longstanding connection between the Aboriginal Gathering Place (AGP) at Emily Carr University and communities in northern B.C. Through an articulation agreement with the Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art, Indigenous students can ladder into a degree program at ECU. Dempsey Bob envisioned the ‘Pacific Song of the Ancestors’ totem pole as both a tribute to Freda and a way to honour ECU and the AGP’s ongoing commitment to outreach work in rural and remote areas of B.C.
As part of Emily Carr University's permanent art collection, the totem pole will be on display from September 29th onward. Admission is free and open to the public.