Moon Dancing

Date1987

Label TextMarvin Oliver was a consummate artist, exuberantly experimenting with materials, composition, and imagery while honoring the traditions of Northwest Coast Native art. With his recent passing, the art world lost a champion of Indigenous art and culture. Oliver is credited with nurturing the revival of Northwest Coast formline art and the art of his Coast Salish ancestors and blending it with his own distinctive, innovative creations. He was a master of many media—wood, glass, bronze, works on paper—and he shared his knowledge with art students at the University of Washington for more than forty years. This print is an example of Oliver using color tinting and embossing to enhance the visual complexity of his silkscreen prints. Raven—trickster and culture hero—is naturalistically depicted with his luxurious plumage. His reflection is rendered as Northwest Coast formline designs embossed into the paper.

Object number2005.119

Photo CreditPhoto: Scott Leen

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, S'abadeb - The Gifts: Pacific Coast Salish Art and Artists, Oct. 24, 2008 - Jan. 11, 2009 (Victoria, B.C., Royal British Columbia Museum, Nov. 20, 2009 - March 8, 2010).

Credit LineGift of Simon Ottenberg, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum

Dimensions20 x 27 in. (50.8 x 68.6cm)

MediumSerigraph