Andrew Todd's Final Touches

 Yesterday was the last day that Andrew was working on the Totem Pole.  He had a few finishing touches and he was going to be done.

 At this almost finished state the Totem Pole looks great.  The colours are vibrant and the Raven, Chief, Frog and Whale are looking fantastic.

The last part to finish is the Whale, since it was the most damaged, but I'm really surprised at how good it looks even at this stage. Andrew did a great job with the Totem Pole, and we wish him a safe journey home back to Canada.  Hopefully he'll be able to return soon to see the Totem Pole standing once again.

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.

Consolidation, Visitors, and a Whales Head

While it looks like Andrew is simply painting the Totem Pole in this photos, there's a lot more going on.  Andrew is using something called a consolidant to repair the old paint as well.  The product does have pigment mixed in, but it's much more than that.  Consolidant protects the original paint on the Totem Pole by helping it bond to the wood and adding a layer of protection on top.  This technique allows the spaces where the paint is too damaged and had to be removed to be filled in with colour, as well as protects the original paint that remains.

If you haven't had time to visit Andrew at the Benaki museum, you might want to make arrangements soon.  He's only here till the end of the month (Here's some more information about visiting the Totem Pole).  Already hundreds of people have stopped by to say hello to Andrew and the Chief's Crest Pole.  Hopefully a few people have left with a better understanding of Canadian culture and history as well.

Some people have commented that the base of the Totem Pole seems like it's in really rough shape.  As you can see, Andrew has been doing some serious work here.  It's probably the most challenging part of the repair, with a great deal of detail missing on this side.

Fortunately the other side of the Totem Pole seems to be in better condition, and this gives Andrew many clues as to how the other side should look.  Andrew has even sketched the details from this side of the Totem Pole to help him work out how to fix the other side.

This Saturday (October 27th) the Benaki museum is putting on an educational program all about the Totem Pole:


Totem: a gift of friendship
Two unique visitors from the other side of the world are eager to reveal their secrets!
How will you reciprocate this gift?

If you want to be a part of this wonderful program click here.