Terry Starr
Encyclopedia
Terry Starr is a Canadian artist from the Gispax Laats Tribe
of the Tsimshian
Nation.
of the Eagle Clan, and his father was from Lax Kw'alaams, or the town of Port Simpson of the Killerwhale clan. His predominant family crest is the Eagle on his mother’s side, while his sub crest is the Killerwhale on his father’s.
Alu'-Alums or 'Crying for or longing after something or someone' Starr was given this childhood name when he was six years old by the Chief of the Tribe when his grandfather died. Thla-enak or 'It's been a long time' - his adult name was given to him by the acting Chief when Starr returned to the village after a long absence.
s and three knives, his first carving tools. Tim Paul of the Nuu-chah-nulth Nation and Richard Hunt
of the Kwakwaka’wakw people were among the first to influence Starr on the basic techniques of carving wood. Their ancestral styles greatly influence the artwork that he creates today. In 1984, he sat and learned carving techniques from Richard Hunt, master Kwagiulth artist at Thunderbird Park
and the Royal British Columbia Museum
in Victoria, British Columbia.
Starr is best known for his masks reflecting the traditional pigments and form lines of his ancestry. He usually paints only a portion of his masks to deliberately reveal the fluid grain of the wood. His pieces can be found in many local and international collections. For example, the Paul and Joan Gluck Collection of Native Arts contains more than 200 art pieces collected for more than 20 years and is considered one of the largest in the world. Starr was featured in an exhibit at one of the largest historical museums in the United States, the Historical Museum of Southern Florida
.
On two separate occasions Starr has been contracted to construct a full-scale replicas of a traditional Tsimshian
bighouse
. For both of these projects, he was responsible for hiring and training a crew of carvers. One was for the Canadian Museum of Civilization
in Gatineau, Quebec, and the other was onsite at the Port Simpson village where he grew up.
Gispaxlo'ots
The Gispaxlo'ots are one of the 14 tribes of the Tsimshian nation in British Columbia, Canada, and one of the nine of those tribes making up the "Nine Tribes" of the lower Skeena River resident at Lax Kw'alaams , B.C...
of the Tsimshian
Tsimshian
The Tsimshian are an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Tsimshian translates to Inside the Skeena River. Their communities are in British Columbia and Alaska, around Terrace and Prince Rupert and the southernmost corner of Alaska on Annette Island. There are approximately 10,000...
Nation.
Early years
Starr's mother was from KitsumkalumKitsumkalum
Kitsumkalum is one of the 14 bands of the Tsimshian nation of British Columbia, Canada, and is also the name of their Indian Reserve just west of the city of Terrace, British Columbia, where the Kitsumkalum River flows into the Skeena River...
of the Eagle Clan, and his father was from Lax Kw'alaams, or the town of Port Simpson of the Killerwhale clan. His predominant family crest is the Eagle on his mother’s side, while his sub crest is the Killerwhale on his father’s.
Alu'-Alums or 'Crying for or longing after something or someone' Starr was given this childhood name when he was six years old by the Chief of the Tribe when his grandfather died. Thla-enak or 'It's been a long time' - his adult name was given to him by the acting Chief when Starr returned to the village after a long absence.
Career
Subsequent to completing a college business course in 1982, Starr purchased two adzeAdze
An adze is a tool used for smoothing or carving rough-cut wood in hand woodworking. Generally, the user stands astride a board or log and swings the adze downwards towards his feet, chipping off pieces of wood, moving backwards as they go and leaving a relatively smooth surface behind...
s and three knives, his first carving tools. Tim Paul of the Nuu-chah-nulth Nation and Richard Hunt
Richard Hunt (artist)
Richard Hunt is a Canadian First Nations artist from the Kwakwaka'wakw nation of coastal British Columbia.He was born in 1951 at Alert Bay, B.C., but has lived most of his life in Victoria, B.C. On his father's side, he is a descendant of the renowned Native ethnologist George Hunt...
of the Kwakwaka’wakw people were among the first to influence Starr on the basic techniques of carving wood. Their ancestral styles greatly influence the artwork that he creates today. In 1984, he sat and learned carving techniques from Richard Hunt, master Kwagiulth artist at Thunderbird Park
Thunderbird Park
Thunderbird Park is a park in Victoria, British Columbia next to the Royal British Columbia Museum. The park is home to many totem poles and other First Nations monuments...
and the Royal British Columbia Museum
Royal British Columbia Museum
The Royal British Columbia Museum is a natural history and human history museum in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, founded in 1886. The "Royal" title was approved by Queen Elizabeth II and bestowed by HRH Prince Philip in 1987, to coincide with a Royal tour that year...
in Victoria, British Columbia.
Starr is best known for his masks reflecting the traditional pigments and form lines of his ancestry. He usually paints only a portion of his masks to deliberately reveal the fluid grain of the wood. His pieces can be found in many local and international collections. For example, the Paul and Joan Gluck Collection of Native Arts contains more than 200 art pieces collected for more than 20 years and is considered one of the largest in the world. Starr was featured in an exhibit at one of the largest historical museums in the United States, the Historical Museum of Southern Florida
Historical Museum of Southern Florida
HistoryMiami formerly known as the Historical Museum of Southern Florida, is a museum located in Miami, Florida, USA, specializing in the history of southeastern Florida, including Greater Miami, the Floria Keys, and the Everglades...
.
On two separate occasions Starr has been contracted to construct a full-scale replicas of a traditional Tsimshian
Tsimshian
The Tsimshian are an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Tsimshian translates to Inside the Skeena River. Their communities are in British Columbia and Alaska, around Terrace and Prince Rupert and the southernmost corner of Alaska on Annette Island. There are approximately 10,000...
bighouse
Long house
A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building built by peoples in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe and North America....
. For both of these projects, he was responsible for hiring and training a crew of carvers. One was for the Canadian Museum of Civilization
Canadian Museum of Civilization
The Canadian Museum of Civilization is Canada's national museum of human history and the most popular and most-visited museum in Canada....
in Gatineau, Quebec, and the other was onsite at the Port Simpson village where he grew up.
Selected exhibitions
- 1987 Hands of Creation, Inuit Gallery, Vancouver, BC
- 1989 Masks: An Exhibition of Northwest Coast Masks, Inuit Gallery, Vancouver, BC
- 1990 Painted Drums of the Northwest Coast, Inuit Gallery, Vancouver, BC
- 1993 Changing Faces, Stonington Gallery, Seattle, WA
- 1994 Life of the Copper: A Commonwealth of Tribal Nations, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC