Spirit Faces; Contemporary Native American Masks from the Northwest

Hispanic Times Magazine, Dec, 1997 by Robert Kendall

SPIRIT FACES; CONTEMPORARY NATIVE AMERICAN MASKS FROM THE NORTHWEST (Chronice Books), demonstrates powerfully the beauty, strength and mystery of ceremonial masks. This is a remarkably stunning book, offering dramatic full color photographs of 75 masks created by 23 of today's renowned artists of the First Nations tribes of Canada's Northwest Coast.

There has been a renewed interest by the younger generation in tribal traditions. The magnificent masks displayed in SPIRIT FACES draws on both the supernatural and natural worlds, showing such archetypal characters as Moon, Eagle and Thunderbird. A statement by the artist accompanies each mask, providing the background on the artist's interpretive style. Gary Wyatt explains in his introduction that each mask in defined by certain traditions. He explains concisely, "that since the artist understands the necessity of representing both the external appearance of the character as well as its internal spiritual force, new interpretations of the character revitalize the image from within."

Gary Wyatt, curator of the Northwest Coast collection of the Intuit Gallery in Vancouver, British Columbia, has introduced us to a breathtaking visual in SPIRIT FACES.