Artwork copyright Susan Point. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2022.
Artwork copyright Susan Point. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2022 (detail).
Artwork copyright Susan Point. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2022 (detail).
Artwork copyright Susan Point. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2022 (detail).
Artwork copyright Susan Point. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2022 (detail).
Artwork copyright Susan Point. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2022.
Artwork copyright Susan Point. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2022.
Artwork copyright Susan Point. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Artwork copyright Susan Point. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2022.
Artwork copyright Susan Point. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2022.
Messengers - Paths to Enlightenment, 2021
Susan Point
Canadian Musqueam
Location: Olympic College, Bremerton
About the Artwork
Messengers - Paths to Enlightenment by Susan Point (Musqueam) is based on the symbolism of the Butterfly and the Hummingbird. For Coast Salish People, butterflies and hummingbirds are uplifting and inspiring. Butterflies represent change, balance, and grace. Hummingbirds symbolize beauty, intelligence, and love. They are messengers between worlds, and they send messages to people of things to come. Their ability to hover back and forth at high speeds is believed to be a skill for guiding people on a journey. If the people fall behind, hummingbird can easily back up to keep pace. The butterfly is also a multi-cultural symbol of the beauty of nature. Just as a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, here Butterfly transforms into a Hummingbird messenger. The two panels of a butterfly and a hummingbird represent the idea of many paths crossing. When perfectly lined up, the sculpture shows Butterfly with open wings at the bottom transforming into Hummingbird flowing up and outwards.
This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Olympic College.
About the Artist
Susan Point is a celebrated First Nations Musqueam artist working in the Coast Salish tradition of her ancestors. She is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, which is the traditional territory of the Musqueam.
Point creates fine art and public sculptural artworks in a variety of media. The use of her ancestral visual language is complemented by contemporary concepts, non traditional materials, and innovative design elements. She notes, "Coast Salish art has forever been a way to honour and remember significant details of our social lives. My hope is that my children remember to tell not only our cultural accounts, but also their own stories as well."
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