A Victoria Indigenous fine art gallery is changing its name. A world-renowned gallery, specializing for 40 years in bringing the top Pacific Rim Indigenous artists to the public, Alcheringa Gallery becomes the Mark Loria Gallery come June.
The new name reflects its second owners, Mark and Mary Loria, who took over the gallery in 2018.
Over the last three years, the couple has shifted to working directly with a core group of 35 Coast Salish and Northwest Coast artists throughout B.C. The Mark Loria Gallery will continue the tradition of representing and promoting Canadian Indigenous artists to the world, and supporting their talents, art practices and careers.
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Alcheringa – the original gallery name by founder Elaine Monds – is an Australian Indigenous word for the Dreamtime, the mythical time of Creation, when the world and all living creatures were sung into existence. Northwest Coast culture is similar, where singing and dancing through ceremony maintains the state of the spirit world and the physical landscape. Mark Loria Gallery will carry on this tradition and philosophy.
A new logo and website accompany the name change. The logo was created in partnership with Coast Salish artist lessLIE whose ‘Songs of the Salmon People’ spindle whorl design reflects the gallery’s location on Lekwungen/Coast Salish territory and its goal to be the place to find the very best local Indigenous art.
The new website MarkLoriaGallery.com rolls out in June with the first exhibition under its new branding – Transformers: Coastal Masks – running July to August.
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