The Totem Pole Inspires

Βασιλική Γεροκώστα an artist who had visited the Totem Pole last week, sent us some wonderful coloured art pieces inspired by the Chief's Crest Pole.

They look fantastic and she got the colour and design details down very well.  You can check out more of her artwork on her website here.  If you have a photo or drawing of the Totem Pole that you'd like to share upload it to our Facebook page, or send us a message.

The Totem Pole Is Visited By Artists

The finishing touches were starting to be applied to the Totem Pole this past weekend. Lots of consolidation work and a few more holes to fill.

Andrew and Totem Pole also got a visit from a group of children participating in a workshop at the Benaki Museum   The kids, and their parents, had the opportunity to learn about the Totem Pole from Andrew.  He explained a little bit about Aboriginal history, what the Totem Pole represented, and how he was fixing it.

The kids were able to watch Andrew at work and ask him any questions.

They also had an opportunity to come up close and see the Totem Pole from all angles.

After they visited the Totem Pole, the kids got together to build a Totem Pole of their own.

After each portion of their Totem Pole was assembled.

The kids got to present their Totem Pole and hung it next to the Chief's Crest Pole.  Everyone was very impressed.

Not only did we get a visit from the kids, but we also got a visit from Βασιλική Γεροκώστα a Greek visual artist here in Athens.  She was sketching some fantastic renditions of the Totem Pole in her sketch book.  You can check out some of her other art on her website here.

A Look At Chief Tony Hunt

The artist of this Totem Pole is Chief Tony Hunt (A First Nations artist of Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwakiutl) ancestry), whom along with his uncle and two cousins carved the Totem Pole in the 1960s. Apparently the carving took approximately a month and half to finish.

Chief Hunt mentioned that the tools used were not very advanced (no chainsaws) for this Totem Pole and that's why the carvings "aren't very deep". Tony Hunt recalls carving the totem, and on the basis of his recommendation, Foreign Affairs Canada has changed the title of the totem to "Chief's Crest Pole".

Today Chief Hunt lives in British Columbia and his artwork is available in many galleries all over the country.  His Totem Poles can be found all over the world including Japan and Mexico. He is also responsible for the for the KwaGulth ceremonial Big House, considered to be the largest of it's kind in the Pacific Northwest.