Clearly Indigenous Audio Exhibition
Foraging Bear Totem
Foraging Bear Totem, 2016, Dan Friday (American, Lummi, b. 1975), 25 3/4 x 7 x 7 in. (65.4 x 17.8 x 17.8 cm), blown and sculpted glass, Collection of Roddie and Steve Harris, L10.2023:60
Verbal Description
Hello, I’m Marissa Tucker, the museum’s donor information and stewardship manager. I will be sharing a description of Foraging Bear Totem by Dan Friday in Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass.
Dan Friday, born in 1975, is a Lummi artist. He created the Foraging Bear Totem in 2016 in blown and sculpted glass. It is in the collection of Roddie and Steve Harris.
Foraging Bear Totem is a three-dimensional blown and sculpted glass sculpture. This multi-colored work is displayed in a wall case with four other objects. A vertically oriented totem form, it measures 25 and three-quarter inches tall, seven inches wide, and seven inches deep, or 65.4 centimeters tall, 17.8 centimeters wide, and 17.8 centimeters deep. Several forms in colorful translucent glass are stacked, one on the other, to create this sculpture. Starting from the bottom and moving up, we begin with a grey cloud-like form that supports a blue bear seated with its legs crossed. The bear balances an orange basket in its lap. The bear’s arms extend over its head to support a green leaf. A conifer tree with brown trunk and green foliage stands on the leaf. Atop the tree, sits a blue bird.
Label Audio
Hello, I’m Marissa Tucker, the museum’s donor information and stewardship manager. I will be sharing the label for Foraging Bear Totem by Dan Friday in Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass.
Dan Friday, born in 1975, is a Lummi artist. He created Foraging Bear Totem in 2016 in blown and sculpted glass. It is in the collection of Roddie and Steve Harris.
Totem poles commemorating ancestors, animals, legends, or notable events were traditionally carved in cedar wood by Indigenous Peoples of the Pacific Northwest. Friday’s great grandfather was a wood carver renowned for his totems. Creating totems in glass has become, for Friday, a way of continuing his family’s traditions. He works with the Chihuly team, as well as on his own creations, and is also known for the artistry of his glass baskets.