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Whistler, B.C. – The ongoing efforts of local First Nations to
share their cultures with their communities and the world at
large has resulted in a venture that will not only enhance that
mandate, but also provide a viable business opportunity for
local and regional indigenous artists to gain valuable marketing
and sales support for their art and their livelihood.
The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre (SLCC) in Whistler provides
guests the unique opportunity to experience the distinctive
living cultures of the two First Nations. The spectacular
building, set among the forest and mountains, has provided the
physical conduit for renewal and revival of the Squamish and
Lil’wat First Nations and now, that process has evolved into the
virtual world with the addition of an online shopping portal
featuring authentic First Nations’ products for sale.
The SLCC houses a successful gift store onsite and has now
launched the shop.slcc.ca
site featuring a variety of works from a mix of local and
regional artists available for viewing and purchase online. The
site provides important access to the worldwide marketplace for
both established and developing First Nations' artists.
“We sell authentic First Nations art to customers from around
the world who visit our gift shop and gallery in person here in
Whistler,” said Casey Vanden Heuvel, SLCC executive director.
“This site is an exciting opportunity to expand access and to
further revitalize local First Nations culture allowing
established and developing artists to display and sell their
work to customers shopping from home from anywhere in the
world.”
“Many of the artists profiled would not otherwise have access to
a worldwide audience through a professionally developed and
marketed online gallery.” Vanden Heuvel added. “The site
therefore is purposeful on a number of levels: it will help
increase the visibility and awareness of our First Nations
cultures and remarkable artists, and will also be a valuable
commercial tool for their artistic profession.”
Many of the one-of-a-kind hand-crafted pieces featured are on
consignment in partnership with the artist with 75 per cent of
the purchase price going directly back to the artist (the
typical percentage received by artists for consignment sales is
between 50 and 60 per cent).
Customers can purchase a variety of items, like the hand-carved
yellow Cedar Grizzly Bear Totem, carved by Tom Harry of the
Squamish Nation, the hand-carved and painted red Cedar Dzunakwa
Mask (Wild Woman of the Woods) by Matthew Baker, also of the
Squamish Nation and the hand-crafted porcelain pictograph and
basket weave pottery by Patrick Leach, of the St’at’imc Nation.
Featured paintings include Victoria Harris’s (Lil’wat) Eagle
Girl painting featuring an image of a young First Nations woman
in the foreground and the shadow of an eagle in the background
and the brightly-painted acrylic on canvas Fish Camp painting by
Oliver James, also of the Lil’wat Nation and the Dene Tha’
Nation’s Josh Kolay’s Caribou in a Snow Storm.
In First Nations culture, animals are sacred and in representing
the relationship between animal and man; many artists utilize
animal symbolism in their artwork. More information about the
First Nations’ animal symbolism can be found
here on the
shop.slcc.ca site.
Carvings (boxes, feast dishes, masks, paddles, totems, rattles,
talking sticks, wood and stone sculptures), cultural products
(drums, leather and hide products and smudging products),
textiles (baskets, blankets and regalia) and prints and
paintings are all available to purchase on the site. In
addition, clothing and accessories, home furnishings, DVDs and
CDs, pottery, moccasins and mukluks, corporate gifts and
children’s toys are also available. To view, visit the website
at shop.slcc.ca.
The development of the online gift shop was made possible
through Cultural Journey funding support provided by Western
Economic Diversification Canada.
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