Susan Point

https://susanpoint.com/

A Coast Salish printmaker and woodcarver, Susan Point’s work seeks to preserve traditional Coast Salish artwork and design that had been nearly forgotten and obliterated following the arrival of colonists. Point is best known for her two forms of houseposts – traditional wooden houseposts and glass houseposts. Her traditional wooden houseposts emulate the Coast Salish style of carvings, the wood engraved with symbols and figures that recount significant events. Her modern houseposts share similar histories but are set in glass and upheld in wooden frames. Honoring the Coast Salish people, Point has brought about a re-emergence of Coast Salish art forms and designs that has largely been forgotten.

"People Amongst the People"

The three cedar gateways below comprise Point's "People Amongst the People" collection. The gateways are intended to welcome visitors to Stanley Park, Vancouver, commemorative in nature of the Coast Salish people. The irony of the pieces and their location is that they stand on land that had been stolen from the Coast Salish people in the late 1800s, marking the loss of fishing grounds, ceremonial and burial sites, and their homes. Each of these gateways portrays distinct figures, commemorating figures in Coast Salish traditional art.