The National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa is in the closing stretch of 'Women Carvers on the Northwest Coast', an exhibition organized by the Audain Art Museum that spotlights women’s contributions to Indigenous carving traditions on the Northwest Coast. According to the Gallery, the show remains on view until July 26, 2026, in Gallery C218 on Level 2 at 380 Sussex Drive.
Presented at the National Gallery in a condensed version of the Audain Art Museum exhibition 'Curve! Women Carvers on the Northwest Coast', the display brings together close to 60 works on loan from public and private collections across Canada and the United States. The exhibition includes poles, panels, masks, bowls and other sculptures, all described by the Gallery as intertwined with traditional knowledge. Its focus is on carvers active from the 1950s to the present day, framing women as central to the larger history of Indigenous carving along the coast of British Columbia.
The exhibition’s historical context is anchored by three artists identified by the Gallery as iconic Northwest Coast figures: Ellen Neel, Freda Diesing and Doreen Jensen. Their work is presented as foundational for subsequent generations of carvers. The exhibition also includes work by senior artists Susan Point, Dale Marie Campbell and Marianne Nicolson, alongside mid-career and emerging artists including Marika Echachis Swan, Morgan Asoyuf, Cori Savard, Stephanie Anderson, Veronica Waechter, Arlene Ness, Cherish Alexander and Melanie Russ.
The National Gallery says the exhibition is co-curated by Dana Claxton and Curtis Collins. It also notes that the project is a selection from 'Curve! Women Carvers on the Northwest Coast', and that the exhibition has support from the Audain Foundation and the National Gallery of Canada Foundation. The installation is housed in a single room with a main entrance, standard lighting and seating, and the Gallery provides an accessibility and sensory guide for visitors.
Among the works highlighted on the Gallery’s exhibition page are Dale Marie Campbell’s 'Woman Who Brought the Salmon' (2021), Stephanie Anderson’s 'The Dreamer' (2018), Cori Savard’s 'Xiilang (Thunderbird)' (2021), Susan A. Point’s 'Gift for Qulqulil Comb' (2003), Marianne Nicolson’s 'Ƨ∩ƎЯCꟼ' (2023), Freda Diesing’s 'Old Woman with Labret' (1973) and Ellen Neel’s 'Totem Pole Model' (1955). The checklist underscores the range of materials represented, including alder, red cedar, yellow cedar, cedar bark, horsehair, abalone shell, copper and pigment.
The exhibition is listed as open Friday, February 13, 2026, through Sunday, July 26, 2026. It is one of several summer offerings currently listed by the National Gallery of Canada, but the Gallery’s notice makes clear that 'Women Carvers on the Northwest Coast' is approaching its final days in Ottawa.
