Seattle Art Museum: Press Release

SEATTLE, August 15, 2008 – SEATTLE, Aug. 14, 2008 – In a public event at the Seattle Art Museum this morning, Bruce Cole, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, announced a $400,000 implementation grant to support the Museum’s upcoming exhibition S’abadeb—The Gifts: Pacific Coast Salish Art and Artists, the first major exploration of the unique artistry and culture of Coast Salish First Peoples of Washington State and British Columbia.

At today’s event, SAM Director Mimi Gates also announced that The Boeing Company will serve as the exhibitions Presenting Corporate Sponsor.

Organized by SAM and curated by SAM’s Barbara Brotherton, S’abadeb—The Gifts: Pacific Coast Salish Art and Artists features more than 175 artworks from national and international collections, offering a glimpse into the daily and ceremonial lives of the 40 groups comprising the Coast Salish. The exhibition will be on view at SAM Oct. 24, 2008, through Jan. 11, 2009, before traveling to the Heard Museum, Phoenix (Feb. 21, 2009–Aug. 16, 2009), and the Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, BC (Nov. 20, 2009–March 8, 2010).

“[The Salish art] exhibition provides a rare opportunity to see works gathered from many collections,” says NEH Chairman Cole. “Visitors will be inspired by these treasures celebrating the gifts of family, community and artistic creativity. The National Endowment for the Humanities is proud to make possible an exhibition featuring the unique art and rich culture of the Salish peoples.”

“We are so pleased to receive such generous support for this important exhibition,” says SAM’s Mimi Gates. “Native American art is one of the Museum’s strongest collections, and is central to our region’s history and culture. It’s exciting to see the NEH and Boeing embrace our mission in exhibiting this stunning art.”

Today’s community event, which was held in the Museum’s Native American galleries, was co-hosted by Duwamish, Suquamish and Squamish tribal officials and was punctuated by live Native American music. As the Honorable Leonard Forsman, chairman of the Suquamish Tribe, has stated, “I hope that [visitors] will learn about the Coast Salish people, our expressions of culture and our values, and pass them on to your friends and family.”

National Endowment for the Humanities
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports learning in history, literature, philosophy and other areas of the humanities. NEH grants enrich classroom learning, create and preserve knowledge and bring ideas to life through public television, radio, new technologies, museum exhibitions and programs in libraries and other community places.

The NEH bestows America’s Historical and Cultural Organizations grants in both Planning and Implementation categories, to support traveling and long-term museum exhibitions, library-based projects, interpretive websites and other formats that creatively engage audiences in exploring important ideas. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available on the Internet at www.neh.gov.

Seattle Art Museum
For 75 years, the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) has been a leading visual arts institution in the Pacific Northwest. SAM is a world-renowned arts institution with three locations, the Seattle Art Museum, downtown, Seattle Asian Art Museum (SAAM) in Volunteer Park and the Olympic Sculpture Park (OSP) in Belltown. SAM is an institution with a global perspective, collecting and exhibiting objects from 140 cultures and exploring the connections between past and present. With approximately 25,000 objects, SAM’s collections are unmatched in the region.

This exhibition is organized by the Seattle Art Museum and made possible by a generous leadership grant from The Henry Luce Foundation and presenting sponsors the National Endowment for the Humanities and The Boeing Company. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts with major support provided by the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs; Adobe Systems, Incorporated; PONCHO; Washington State Arts Commission; and U.S. Bancorp Foundation. Additional support provided by the Native Arts of the Americas and Oceania Council at the Seattle Art Museum; Thaw Charitable Trust; Charlie and Gayle Pancerzewski; Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort; The Hugh and Jane Ferguson Foundation, Humanities Washington; Kreielsheimer Exhibition Endowment; and contributors to the Annual Fund.

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National Endowment for the Humanities Grants $400,000 for SAM Exhibition of Native American Art

S’abadeb—The Gifts: Pacific Coast Salish Art and Artists - Oct. 24, 2008 – Jan. 11, 2009