Big Beaver Totem Pole

The Story of Big Beaver
The sculpture in 2015
Map
ArtistNorman Tait
Year1982 (1982)
MediumTotem Pole carved out of a cedar tree
Dimensions17 m (55 ft)
LocationField Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Coordinates41°52′02″N 87°37′01″W / 41.86721°N 87.61705°W / 41.86721; -87.61705

Big Beaver Totem Pole[1] (also known as Story of Big Beaver,[2] or simply Big Beaver)[3][4] is a 55-foot (16.8-meter) tall outdoor totem pole sculpture by Norman Tait, of the Nisga'a people of British Columbia, located in front of the north entrance to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois.

The totem pole was carved out of a cedar tree donated by the Council of Forest Industries of British Columbia, according to the plaque, and was commissioned by the Women's Board of the Field Museum of Natural History to commemorate the 1982 opening of a permanent exhibit about the Maritime Peoples of the Arctic and Northwest Coast. It was erected on April 24, 1982 (around the time the exhibit opened) in an event involving a traditional Nisga'a tribal ceremony with costumes and dancing sponsored by the Field Museum.[5]

Plaque for the sculpture

See also

References

  1. ^ "Field Museum & Indigenous Partners Announce Name, New Opening Date of Groundbreaking Native North America Hall Renovation". First American Art Magazine. November 22, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  2. ^ George, Doug. "Totems by Herb Alpert go on display at Field Museum". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  3. ^ Krance, Magda (May 20, 1982). "INDIAN-ESKIMO LIFE IN CHICAGO EXHIBIT". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  4. ^ Public Art in Chicago: Photography and Commentary on Sculptures, Statues, Murals and More. Agate Digital. February 19, 2013. ISBN 978-1-57284-447-6.
  5. ^ "Grant Park Sculptures". Grant Park Conservancy. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2017.


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