National Museum of the American Indian Welcomes New Sculptures by Artist Rick Bartow
August 30, 2012 The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian has commissioned a monumental outdoor sculpture by Oregon artist Rick Bartow (Wiyot/Mad River Band). The pair of wood carvings will act as key welcoming sentinels on the northwest corner of the museum overlooking the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Titled “We Were Always Here,” the work will be officially dedicated on the autumn equinox, Friday, Sept. 21, at 5:30 p.m. “We are honored to add these unique sculptures to our collection and our landscape,” said Kevin Gover (Pawnee), the museum’s director. “By greeting our visitors with indigenous imagery using traditional and natural resources, these works represent everything our museum stands for.” Carved using old-growth western red cedar from Washington state, Bartow’s sculptures represent traditional animals from the region’s indigenous creation stories. As Bartow explains: “The Welcoming Bear and Raven, Healer and Rascal sit atop the sculpture poles; one, slow and methodical, fiercely protective of her children, the other a playful, foible-filled teacher of great power. Both Bear and Raven are focused on water and salmon for serious reasons. The salmon reflect the health of the environment, in particular water, the source of all life. On each pole are repeated lower horizontal patterns that symbolize successive waves, generations following generations, an accumulation of wisdom and knowledge. The tree used for the sculptures is approximately 500 years old. The elders...
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