2023-35-20-04.jpg

Norman Tait, Frog

Norman Tait
1941-2016
Nisga'a
Date
1976
Medium Specific
Silkscreen
Edition / State
203/279
Classification
Print
Dimensions
23 x 17 1/2 in. (58.4 x 44.5 cm.)
Accession Number
2023.35.20.04
Credit
Gift of Gloria and Selig Kaplan
Memo / Artist Statement
Norman tells that the actual edition size is much smaller, probably no more than half. This was his first print, made with the encouragement of Bud Mintz. After signing them, he took them to his car to drive around to dealers. He placed the stack on the top of his car, opened the door, got in the car, and drove off -- with the pile of prints still on the car roof. When they all blew off, he ran all over the street, collected as many as he could, and took them to Bud's, where the two of them picked out those that were undamaged and unsoiled. There is no record of the number of surviving prints.
Biography
Norman Tait's interest in Nisga'a art was sparked through the family traditions and oral histories that he experienced as a boy. He was the son of acclaimed carver Josiah Tait, and was the brother of Chief Alver Tait, who is also a celebrated Nisga'a carver. Norman went to a Residential School in Edmonton, AB, completed high school in Prince Rupert, BC, and then had a brief career as a millwright. In 1973, he established himself as a wood carver with the production and raising of the first Nisga'a pole in over fifty years, which he carved with his father. From that time, he carved a pole for the Field Museum in Chicago, IL, in 1982, a pole for Britain's royal family that stands in Bushy Park in London, and numerous poles around Vancouver. In 2012, Norman was given the British Columbia Creative Lifetime Achievement Award in Aboriginal Art. In addition to being a carver in metals and woods, Norman was also an expert on Nisga'a art and culture.
https://www.lattimergallery.com/collections/norman-tait
Date of Bio
Inscription
NTait, 76 Feb. 203/279