Everywhere I Go, I Go Smiling
EXHIBITION:
Masks of the Pacific Northwest Coast“Everywhere I Go, I Go Smiling — I chose to name my mask after an old Haida song. It was recorded in Masset, Haida Gwaii in 1977 by my great-great-grandmother, Selina Adams Peratrovich. The lyrics, sung in the Haida language, translate to: “For the first time, I’m enjoying myself, I will smile wherever I go.” That line really speaks to me, especially in connection to my carving journey. It reminds me to carry pride, joy, and strength with me in the work I do and the places I go.
The mask Everywhere I Go, I Go Smiling is carved from salvaged alder wood from Haida Gwaii. It’s completely hand-carved and is the second mask I’ve finished using only knives, a skill I’ve been working to develop. The mask also includes red cedar bark, harvested on Haida Gwaii. Using materials gathered from home ties the piece directly to where I come from and the teachings that guide me. I brought the mask to life by dancing it during a dance practice on Haida Gwaii, to the song that inspired its name. The movement, the rhythm, the breath, was a way of honouring the mask, the song, and the ancestors whose voices are still with me.” -Guustl’as Rorick