Submitted by SJIMA

The San Juan Islands Museum of Art, SJIMA, celebrating Canada’s Indigenous People’s month opens June 13, with Shapeshifters, an exhibition reflecting the diverse cultures of the Northwest Coast indigenous people’s ability to transform and “shapeshift” to create new solutions for the restoration of friendly relations with a bygone history of conflict.

Haida and Lummi dignitaries will congregate at the museum Saturday afternoon to view works by 32 Pacific Northwest tribal artists.

In addition the Lummi Nation is hosting members of the Haida Nation on Orcas Island for a private “Spirit”Peace and reconciliation event between the two nations , laying there long standing conflict to rest.

The long planned exhibition fostering “hands across the border” experienced unexpected difficulties and delays with several of the featured Canadian artists deciding not to cross the border at this time. Happily most of the works did arrive supplemented with loans from collectors and SJIMA’s own archive.

Four Cultural styles are featured as follows:

Christian White: Northern Style, Haida Coast culture, who will be available for an interview Friday or Saturday at SJIMA

Rande Cook: Mid-Coast, Kwakwaka’wakw style

Tim Paul : West Coast, Nu-Chat-Nulth

Susan A. Point, Coast Salish South, Musqueam

Artists and dignitaries will be available for interviews Saturday, June 14 at 3 p.m. at SJIMA.