The Transformational Power of Indigenous Public Art

From 19th century steamers to 21st century cruise ships, summer visitors have engaged with the communities and people of the Northwest Coast. Contemporary Indigenous artists, like their ancestors, have transformed touristic curiosity into economic, educational, and cultural opportunities. 

Dr. Megan Smetzer compares Juneau, Alaska’s Kootéeyaa Deiyí (Totem Pole Trail) and Vancouver’s Blanketing the City—to explore ways in which public art expresses Indigenous sovereignty.

Presenter Bio:

Megan Smetzer (PhD, University of British Columbia, 2007) is an art historian who researches the circulation of Indigenous cultural belongings within and between Indigenous and settler communities along the Northwest Coast and beyond. 

After earning degrees from Smith College, Williams College and the University of British Columbia, Smetzer held a Research Fellowship at the Canadian Museum of History. She taught at the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and Emily Carr University of Art and Design before joining the faculty at Capilano University. 

Along the way, Smetzer has collaborated with social practice artists on environmental art projects, as well as lectured and published extensively on Indigenous women's art practices.