Oscar William Holm Jr. (March 24, 1925 – December 16, 2020) was an American art historian and author, focused on Indigenous

Northwest Coast art Northwest Coast art is the term commonly applied to a style of art created primarily by artists from Tlingit, Haida, Heiltsuk, Nuxalk, Tsimshian, Kwakwaka'wakw, Nuu-chah-nulth and other First Nations and Native American tribes of the Northwes ...

. He created artworks and taught Northwest Coast style, including formline design. He was Professor Emeritus of Art History, and Curator Emeritus of Northwest Coast Indian Art at the

Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture (commonly as Burke Museum) is a natural history museum on the campus of the University of Washington, in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is administered by the UW College of Arts and Scien ...

and occasionally lectured at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

. Holm's 1965 book ''Northwest Coast Indian Art: An Analysis of Form'' has for decades been the standard introductory text in the field. In its 18th printing, the 50th-anniversary edition, with new commentary, was published in 2014.

Background

Holm was born on March 24, 1925, in Roundup, Montana to electrician Oscar Holm and teacher Martha Holm. His family moved to

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

when Holm was twelve. Prior to his career as an artist and art historian, Holm was enlisted in the army and served in as part of a field artillery observation battalion in France during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He would go on to earn the rank of

Master sergeant A master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries. Israel Defense Forces The (abbreviated "", master sergeant) is a non-commissioned officer () rank in the Israel Defense Force ...

. In 1953 Holm married his wife Marty (née Mueller), a dancer. In 1942 Holm worked at Henderson Camp, later renamed Camp Nor'wester, a summer camp located in the

San Juan Islands The San Juan Islands is an archipelago in the Pacific Northwest of the United States between the U.S. state of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core of ...

Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

. Here he and his wife Marty struck up a friendship with

Mungo Martin Chief Mungo Martin or ''Nakapenkem'' (lit. ''Potlatch chief "ten times over"''), ''Datsa'' (lit. ''"grandfather"''), was an important figure in Northwest Coast style art, specifically that of the Kwakwaka'wakw Aboriginal people who live in the ...

, which led to significant artistic accomplishments including the recording of hundreds of Kwakwaka'wakw songs, the construction of "big houses" and totem poles on Lopez Island and

John's Island Johns Island is an island in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States, and is the largest island in the state of South Carolina. Johns Island is bordered by the Wadmalaw, Seabrook, Kiawah, Edisto, Folly, and James islands; the St ...

, many dance masks, four

Haida Haida may refer to: Haida people Many uses of the word derive from the name of an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. * Haida people, an Indigenous ethnic group of North America (Canada) ** Council of the Haida Nati ...

-style canoes, and more. Martin would give Holm the names ''Namsgamuti'' (He Speaks Only Once), ''Hamtsi'stesalagalis'' (Unrestrained Hamatsa Everywhere), ''Ho'miskanis'' (Plenty of Everything, literally, Surplus Food from the River). Holm was also named ''Tlalelitla'' (Continually Inviting) by Chief William Scow, Henry Bell, and Joe Seaweed. British Columbia Provincial judge Alfred Scow, a Kwakwaka'wakw elder, said " ill Holmhas been a respectful student of our tradition, who took pains to learn Kwakwala. He is a very thorough art historian." His students included the

carver Freda Diesing and many others. His best friend was former Washington State Senator Donn Charnley.

Honors

Holm's eight books have won scholarly acclaim and recognition with four Washington State Governor's Writers Awards, and two special Governor's awards. In 2001, Holm was honored with a certificate of appreciation from the

Tlingit The Tlingit or Lingít ( ) are Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. , they constitute two of the 231 federally recognized List of Alaska Native tribal entities, Tribes of Alaska. Most Tlingit are Alaska Natives; ...

, and

Tsimshian The Tsimshian (; ) are an Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their communities are mostly in coastal British Columbia in Terrace, British Columbia, Terrace and ...

people of Southeast Alaska through the Sealaska Heritage Institute.The Native American Art Studies Association recognized him with its Honor Award in 1991. The

honored him with a Distinguished Achievement Award from the College of Arts and Sciences in 1994 and selected him to give the annual University Faculty Lecture in 2003. He also received the Burke award for courage, excellence and bravery in 2010.

Visual art

A series of large paintings by Holm introduced Northwest Native motifs in the gallery of Northwest Coast art at the 1962 Seattle

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in the

Century 21 Exposition The Century 21 Exposition (also known as the Seattle World's Fair) was a world's fair held April 21, 1962, to October 21, 1962, in Seattle, Washington, United States.Complete list of publications

Camp Nor'wester
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holm, Bill 1925 births 2020 deaths American art historians Artists from Montana People from Roundup, Montana Pacific Northwest artists Northwest Coast art University of Washington faculty Historians of the Pacific Northwest Historians from Montana