Booth to Unveil Largest Piece Ever
November 18, 2011
Booth Western Art Museum to Unveil its
Newest, and Tallest Piece Prior to December Art for Lunch
Unveiling ceremony of Nishga Totem Pole to be held December 7 at 11:30 a.m.
CARTERSVILLE - Booth Western Art Museum will add a new monument to its grounds on Wednesday, December 7. The tallest piece ever at Booth Museum, a 2,300 pound, 37-foot tall totem pole will be erected just outside the Museum’s two-story sculpture court. The unveiling ceremony for the Nishga Totem Pole will be held on the Booth Museum North Lawn at 11:30 a.m. and is open to the public. Art for Lunch will follow, beginning at 12:15 p.m. in the Booth Ballroom, with the topic focusing on the importance of totem poles, and the significance to the Nishga Totem Pole.
“We are thrilled to unveil the Nishga Totem Pole not only because of its remarkable size, but also because of its stark beauty and the story of its journey to Georgia” said Booth Museum Executive Director Seth Hopkins. “This pole has a unique history, and it is only because there was never an installation ceremony where it was created that we are able to have it at the Booth. It is very rare for a totem pole to be moved. The Booth is grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Tom Cousins, who recently had the pole removed from the Wildwood Office Park in Marietta, for loaning us this monumental piece.”
The totem pole was commissioned in the early 1970s by a couple living in British Columbia who were adopted into the Nishga Gosnell Family. The pole was carved as a genealogical object – to tell the story of the family into which they had been adopted. A “potlatch” tribal ceremony, which celebrates the raising of a totem pole, was set to be held at the completion of the carving. However, the couple who had commissioned the pole experienced a financial crisis and never held that potlatch ceremony. This made it possible for the pole to be included in a museum exhibition of Native American art that traveled the country, and eventually be purchased by the Cousins.
Booth Museum Executive Director Seth Hopkins and Mr. and Mrs. Tom Cousins will unveil the totem pole and offer brief remarks about the history and importance of the Nishga Totem Pole on December 7 at 11:30 a.m. Following the unveiling, guests are invited to an Art for Lunch program where Booth Director of Special Projects Jim Dunham will discuss the history of totem poles. Art for Lunch is free for Booth Museum members and included with regular Museum admission for not-yet members. Lunch will also be available for purchase.
About the Booth Western Art Museum
Booth Western Art Museum, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is a 120,000 square foot museum located in Cartersville, Georgia. Guests are invited to See America’s Story through contemporary Western artwork, Presidential portraits and letters, Civil War art, more than 200 Native American artifacts, and Sagebrush Ranch children’s gallery. Open since August 2003, Booth Museum is the second largest art museum in the state of Georgia, and houses the largest permanent exhibition space for Western art in the country. To learn more about Booth Western Art Museum, visit www.boothmuseum.org.
Contact:
Tara Currier, Director of Marketing for Booth Western Art Museum
tarac@boothmuseum.org, 770-387-2833
