Killer Art
In the new exhibition, Orcas: Our Shared Future, visitors can immerse themselves in art inspired by killer whales—sculptures, masks, textiles, and prints —beckoning humans into the deeply powerful world of these cunning marine mammals.
As visitors submerge themselves in the exhibition, they'll pass by life-size orca replicas and dynamic installations, discovering how these intelligent, family-centered animals live, communicate, and thrive. Guests will wade into the world of cutting-edge orca science, from field research in the wild to forensic discoveries in the lab and discover how perceptions of orcas transformed from fear into fascination.
But the art on display—sculptures, masks, and prints by Indigenous artists of the Pacific Northwest Coast—are perhaps the most compelling aspect of the show. In these artworks, animals and humans intertwine, carry, ride and transform. They often illustrate climactic moments in coastal stories. Many of these stories tell of supernatural Killer Whales bringing people into their underwater towns and then returning them home.
Elizabeth Kasalas Hunt
Button blanket with Killer Whale crest
Willie Seaweed
Model pole with Thunderbird and Killer Whale
Dick Hawkins
Model pole with Eagle, Killer Whale, and probably a chief.
