• Age: 15
• Grade: 10

Carrying on "Irregardless" is a handsomely illustrated paperback based on the first exhibition to focus on humour in Northwest Coast First Nations art. The show, mounted by the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art in Vancouver is titled after one of Bill Reid's favourite deliberate grammatical blunders that were part of the sense of humour that, as Martine J. Reid says in her introduction, "was perhaps a part of his survival kit, as it often seems to be for First Nations people."

Within this book are the photographed artworks of twenty-eight prominent Northwest Coast artists, including such varied approaches to humour as a rare prehistoric Coast Salish bowl featuring a smiling face carved from stone, a 1990s etching depicting Raven and the First Men Overlooking Wreck Beach (to catch a glimpse at all the nudists, of course!) and a pair of red and yellow cedar bark high heels titled Too Haida. Collected here are artworks that act as political weapons, bold challenges to stereotypes, and nods to the Trickster. They satirize, ridicule and play. And, above all, they make us laugh, and think, and laugh again.

Accompanying the work are descriptions, quips and jokes from the artists themselves. And preceding it stands three impassioned contextualizing essays that range from the poetic to the academic to the anecdotal, by Tahltan artist, stand-up comedian and co-curator, Peter Morin; Director of Content and Research for the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art and co-curator, Martine J. Reid; and CEO of the Bill Reid Trust and Director for the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art, Mike Robinson.

Martine J. Reid, PhD, is an independent curator and scholar in Indigenous Northwest Coast art. She is Honourary Chair of the Bill Reid Foundation, which created the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art (BRG) in Vancouver, BC, in 2008. She was Director of Content and Research, and Curator at the BRG from 2008 until 2012. Dr. Reid is currently working on Bill Reid: Catalogue Raisonné and is a member of the CRSA (Catalogue Raisonné Scholars Association). She was married to Bill Reid for nearly half of his creative life, during which most of his monumental works were created.

Martine J. Reid's profile page

Peter Morin is an independent curator, visual artist and writer working in Victoria BC. He is from the crow clan of the Tahltan Nation. Morin was assistant editor for Redwire Native Youth Media Society, working on Redwire and Red Directions magazine. As a visual and performance artist, Morin's work looks deeply into de-colonizing through relationship building and speaking one indigenous language.

Peter Morin's profile page

Mike Robinson is the CEO of the Bill Reid Trust and Director for the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art.

Mike Robinson's profile page

Carrying On "Irregardless": Humour in Contemporary Northwest Coast Art

Created as an accompaniment to the art exhibition of the same name, this groundbreaking book considers the often misunderstood place of humour and irony in Northwest Coast Native art. Three essays consider how humour and irony can be used as a tool for First Nations people to develop resiliency in the face of the demands of the dominant western culture. In addition, this art book explores the many uses of humour and irony in native art including the questioning of current practices, entertaining, defusing tension in controversies, drawing attention to issues and responding to difficult disputes. The book challenges readers to look at Northwest Coast art in different ways. Brief biographies of the artists are included as well as explanatory notes and anecdotes for many of the illustrations.