This sterling silver piece “subtle-tea” by Michael Massie is part of the MIA’s new Adopt an Object fundraising initiative.
As part of the MIA’s new fundraising initiative ‘Adopt an Object’, we’ll be highlighting a featured item from our Permanent Collection that staff have chosen to represent some of the unique pieces we display in the museum. For more information on the program itself and what it means to be a donor, you can check out our past blog post.
Today, we’re highlighting a staff favourite – Michael Massie’s “subtle-tea”
Artist: Michael Massie, RCA (b. 1962)
Location: Happy Valley – Goose Bay, Nunatsiavut
Date: 1997
Medium: Sterling silver, Bird’s eye maple
Dimensions (H x W x D): 8” x 11” x 3”
Collection: MIA Collection
Significance: Michael Massie is one of the new formally trained Inuit artists, having attended the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design to study metal work. He is the first Inuit artist working in the medium of silver to be given the distinction of becoming a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Art (RCA). Michael Massie is best known for his signature tea pots, which often involve play through form and words. The crescent moon form within this piece makes reference to the ulu, a traditional knife used by Inuit women for a variety of purposes, from preparing food to cutting hair. Michael Massie is producing art from a region that has no establishes co-operative and did not receive governmental assistance for its art production for many years. Show your support of artists from this region by adopting subtle-tea!
Adoption Rate: $300
To adopt this piece, contact our curator Alysa at aprocida [at] miamuseum [dot] ca.
– Posted by Brittany Holliss, MIA’s Visitor Services Officer
Museum of Inuit Art Blog 