About
Artist Statement - David Neel
From earliest memory I wanted to follow in the family footsteps and be a Native artist, although fate decreed that I would work a photographer in the USA before returning to the Vancouver. I soon met Beau Dick and Wayne Alfred, and I apprenticed as a carver for 2 years. Eager to learn, I travelled to Native villages in B.C. photographing Native leaders that became a book, Our Chiefs and Elders, and a travelling exhibition that opened at the UBC Museum of Anthropology. Over the next decade I completed several photographic documentaries; authored a second book, The Great Canoes; I did an extensive photographic documentary, spanning a decade, on the Pequot tribe of Connecticut for a permanent exhibition for the tribes museum.
With the assistance of a Smithsonian Institution Community Scholar Grant I studied the Native artifacts in the leading public collections internationally, such as the British Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian. Seeing firsthand the creativity of carvers in the 1800's inspired me to create a series of contemporary masks: Residential School Mask, Overpopulation Mask and Ellen Neel portrait mask that became a travelling exhibition. Working on The Great Canoes inspired me to carve a 26' canoe that made several traditional journeys. With Coquitlam students I carved a 32' canoe that is now on display at a Vancouver sky-train station. Masks and canoe came together for the 1999 Venice Biennale; where I did an exhibition of masks / performance, paddling my canoe in the canals of Venice.
My ancestors have been a major influence on my art practice, including: Dave Senior, Ellen Neel, Charlie James, Mungo Martin and my uncle Bob Neel who introduced me to hand engraving. It was not my intention to become a jeweler, but my interest in Kwakiutl design made hand engraving the perfect medium and I continue to use it to explore traditional design, which is highly complex with end-less possibilities. Currently I am studying early bentwood box designs and applying this knowledge to my hand engraving. My grandmother, Ellen Neel, is credited with introducing silk screen printing to N.W. Native art, which encouraged me to do print making: in addition to traditional design I have completed contemporary prints depicting current issues, such as: the Mohawk Oka Crisis of 1991 and Lakota Souix Dakota Pipeline protests of 2016.
I work in a number of creative media, which is unusual for an artist, so my art practice can be difficult to comprehend. Essentially my creative method is informed by my knowledge of traditional N.W. coast Native art, and my interest in history: past and present. I strive to create work that underlines the relevance of Native art as a contemporary medium of expression. I have come appreciate that the pursuit of knowledge and creative expansion is never ending for an artist. After 35 years as a Kwakiutl artist I have come to understand that tradition is a foundation to build upon and not a set of rules to limit creativity.
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
| 2016 | A Portrait of the Mashantucket Pequot | Mashantucket Pequot Museum |
| 2005 | The Ten Commandments | Grunt Gallery, Vancouver, BC |
| 2004 | Living Legends | Indian Art Centre, Hull, Quebec |
| 2003 | Echoes of the Ancestors | North Vancouver Arts Space |
| 2000 | David Neel - Living Traditions | Art Gallery of Peterborough |
| 1999 | Walas-Kwis-Gila' (Travels Great Distances) | Venice Biennale - Venice, Italy |
| 1998 | David Neel - Living Traditions | Kamloops Art Gallery |
| 1993-95 | Photographs of Native Leaders and Related Works |
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography - National Gallery, Ottawa, ON, Prince George Art Gallery, Prince George, BC Espace Hortense, St. Camille, QU Campbell River Museum, Campbell River, BC |
| 1997 | Prints by David Neel | Courtenay District Museum, Courtenay, BC |
| 1997 | Photographs of Native Leaders and Related Works | Terrace Art Gallery, Terrace, BC |
| 1997 | Traditions & Innovations: Masks by David Neel | Quintana Gallery, Portland OR |
| 1996 | Spirit of the Earth | Yukon Art Centre, Whitehorse, YT |
| 1995 | Spirit of the Earth | Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, ON |
| 1994 | Images of Native America | Smithsonian Institution - NMAI, New York, NY |
| 1993 | Spirit of the Earth | Vancouver Museum, Vancouver, BC |
| 1992 | Heroes and Legends | Gallery 1450, Victoria, BC |
| 1992 | Heroes | Ufundi Gallery, Ottawa, ON |
| 1991 | Beyond Boundaries | Gallery 1450, Victoria, BC |
| 1991 | To Speak for Ourselves: Portraits of Chiefs & Elders | National Archives of Canada, Ottawa, ON |
| 1991-95 | Our Chiefs and Elders |
UBC Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver, BC Burke Museum, Seattle, WA Vernon Museum, Vernon, BC Kamloops Museum, Kamloops, BC Native Heritage Centre, Duncan, BC Langley Museum, Langley, BC Richmond Museum, Richmond, BC Delta Museum, Delta, BC Courtenay District Museum, Courtenay, BC Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC Skidegate Museum, Queen Charlotte City, BC Kwagiutl Museum, Cape Mudge, BC Calgary Performing Arts Centre, Calgary, AB San Francisco Camera Work, San Francisco, CA |
| 1986 | Deep Ellum Artists Series | Allen Street Gallery, Dallas, TX |
| 1985 | State/Thomas Freedman's Town | LTV Center, Dallas, TX |
| 1985 | State Thomas/Freedman's Town | Still Light Gallery, Dallas, TX |
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
| 2018 | Form as Meaning: Prints from the Pacific Northwest | Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC |
| 2017 | Closer to Home | Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC |
| 2017 | Ellen Neel - The First Woman Totem Pole Carver | Legacy Gallery, Victoria, BC |
| 2016 | Across the Turtles Back | MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina, SK |
| 2015 | Pushing the Boundaries | North Vancouver Gallery, N. Vancouver, BC |
| 2015 | Looking Back at You | Confederation Art Centre, Charlottetown, PEI |
| 2015 | Resource: A Living Archive | Surrey Art Gallery, Surrey, BC |
| 2014 | The War Department | Indian Arts Institute of America, Santa Fe, NM |
| 2013 | Pushing the Boundaries | North Vancouver Gallery, N. Vancouver, BC |
| 2013 | Out of the Darkness | Emily Carr University, Vancouver, BC |
| 2011 | Portraits of Canadian Newsmakers | National Portrait Gallery of Canada |
| 2011 | Steeling the Gaze: Portraits by Aboriginal Artists | National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, ON |
| 2009 | AYP - Indigenous Voices Reply | Burke Museum, Seattle, WA |
| 2006 | About Face | Wheelwright Museum, Santa Fe, NM |
| 2006 | Changing Hands - 2 |
Eitljorg Museum, Minneapolis, Minnesota Museum of Art and Design, New York, NY Institute of American Indian Arts Museum, Santa Fe Philbrook Museum, Tulsa, OK Anchorage Museum, Anchorage, AK Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN |
| 2006 | Royal Canada House Exhibition | Canada House, London, England |
| 2005 | Dzunukwa: The Wild Woman | Quintana Galleries, Portland, OR |
| 2005 | Modern Masters | Cline Gallery, Santa Fe, NM |
| 2004 | Face to Face | Surrey Art Gallery, Surrey, BC |
| 2004 | Identities: Canadian Portraits | McMicheal Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, ON |
| 2002 | Recent Acquisitions | Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ |
| 2001 | Vancouver Collects | Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC |
| 2001 | Exploring the Collection: Prevalent Concerns | Kamloops Art Gallery, Kamloops, BC |
| 2001 | Long Time: Selections from the Permanent Collection | Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC |
| 2001 | Portrait Gallery of Canada | National Archives of Canada, Ottawa, ON |
| 2000 | Beyond Borders | Coninx Museum, Zurich, Switzerland |
| 2000 | The Powwow: Inside and Out | MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina, SK |
| 2000 | Journeys Towards Knowledge | University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia |
| 2000 | A Century of Canadians at Work | National Archives of Canada, Ottawa |
| 1999 | Artist for the new Millennium' 2 Man Show | Gallery 10, Scottsdale, AZ |
| 1998 | Celebrating the Season: Vessels for the Feast | The Stonington Gallery, Seattle, WA |
| 1998 | Masks from the Northwest Coast | Gallery 10, Santa Fe, NM |
| 1998 | Kentucky Head, Heart and Hands | Kentucky Art & Craft Museum, Louisville KY |
| 1997 | Redefining Tradition: A Selection of First Nations Artists | Whatcom Museum, Whatcom, WA |
| 1997 | Them Equals Us | Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON |
| 1997 | State of the Art | National Archives of Canada, Ottawa, ON |
| 1997 | Treasured Memories | National Archives of Canada, Ottawa, ON |
| 1997 | Captain Vancouver: Four Native Perspectives | Confederation Art Centre, Charlottetown, PEI |
| 1997 | 7th Native American Fine Arts Invitational | The Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ |
| 1997 | Transformations | Quintana Art Gallery, Portland, OR |
| 1997 | Strong Hearts: Aboriginal Voices & Visions | Smithsonian Institute, New York, NY |
| 1996 | Partial Recall: Photographs of Native North America | Museum of the American Indian, New York, NY |
| 1996 | Aboriginal Portraits from the National Archives of Canada | National Archives of Canada, Ottawa, ON |
| 1995 | First Nations Art | Canadian Embassy, Moscow, Russia |
| 1994 | All Roads are Good | Smithsonian Institution, New York, NY |
| 1994 | Spirit Faces | Inuit Gallery, Vancouver, BC |
| 1994 | First Nations Contemporary Art | Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC |
| 1993 | Indian Territories: 20th Century Native American Artists | Renee Fotouhi Gallery, East Hampton, NY |
| 1993 | Partial Recall | Tyler Galleries, Philadelphia, PA |
| 1993 | Artropolis 1993 | Vancouver, BC |
| 1993 | The Contemporary Camera | Red Head Gallery, Toronto, ON |
| 1993 | Facing History | National Archives of Canada, Ottawa, ON |
| 1993 | Partial Recall | Boulder Art Center, Boulder, CO |
| 1993 | Guatemalan/Canadian Indigenous Art Exhibition | Guatemala City, Guatemala |
| 1993 | Personal Histories | Surrey Art Gallery, Surrey, BC |
| 1992 | First Nations Photography | Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA |
| 1992 | Means of Knowing | Exposure Gallery, Vancouver, BC |
| 1992 | Canadian Inuit, Northwest Coast Art | Seoul Arts Centre, Seoul, Korea |
| 1992 | Celebration of First Nations Art | Sponsored by Syncrude. Tour of Canadian cities |
| 1992 | Native America: Reflecting Contemporary Realities | National tour of museums in the US |
| 1992 | New Territories: 350/500 Years After | Maison de la Culture, Montreal, PQ |
| 1992 | First Nations Art 1992 | Woodlands Cultural Centre, Brantford, ON |
| 1992 | Native American Exhibition | Kulturhuset, Stockholm, Sweden |
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
| Vancouver Art Gallery | Canadian Embassy, Guatemala City, Guatemala |
| Thunder Bay Art Gallery | Smithsonian Institution - NMAI |
| Kwagiutl Museum | Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography |
| Carleton University Gallery | Burke Museum |
| Seattle Art Museum | Camosun College |
| Vancouver Centennial Museum | Glenbow Museum |
| Royal BC Museum | Art Gallery of Greater Victoria |
| Museum of Civilization | National Archives of Canada |
| UBC Museum of Anthropology | Canada Council Art Bank |
| Indian Art Centre | Mashantucket Pequot Museum |
| Heard Museum | Anchorage Museum of History and Art |
| McMicheal Canadian Art Collection | Surrey Art Gallery |
| Denver Art Gallery, Denver, CO |
SELECTED GRANTS / COMMISSIONS
| 2017 | Hnatyshyn Foundation Indigenous Art Award |
| 2012 | Mashantucket Pequot Museum, Groton, CT |
| 2009 | Bronze for Cedar Valley Community School, Lynnwood, WA |
| 2008 | British Museum, London, England |
| 2008 | Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History |
| 2005 | National Geographic Society, Washington, DC. Designs film festival award |
| 2004 | Carved 32' canoe for Coquitlam School Board, Coquitlam, BC |
| 2003 | Totem pole for VanCity Credit Union, North Vancouver, BC |
| 2002 | BC Arts Council Grant |
| 2002 | Numerous commissions for private collections |
| 2000 | Photographed Hauberg Collection for the Seattle Art Museum using Kwakiutl dancers |
| 1997 | Project Assistance for Visual Artists award |
| 1996 | Two photography exhibitions for Mashantucket Pequot Museum |
| 1996 | Carved 26' traditional oceangoing canoe from 500 year old cedar log |
| 1992 | Photographic portraits for 'Pathways of Tradition' exhibition, National Museum of the American Indian |
| 1992 | Community Scholar Study grant, Smithsonian Institute |
| 1991 | Artist Assistance grant, BC Ministry of Municipal Affairs (mask series) |
| 1991 | Canada Council Explorations Grant: Contemporary Mask Series |
| 1989 | Kodak Canada Grant |
| 1989 | Photographed Northwest Coast bighouses for the Museum of Civilization |
| 1988 | Canada Council project grant for 'Our Chiefs and Elders' |
| 1988 | Mungo Martin Memorial Award |
| 1988 | BC Indian Arts and Crafts Society grant |
| 1987 | Arness Foundation grant |
| 1987 | Mungo Martin Memorial Award |