Rare early works by famed Haida artist Bill Reid are part of a $1.4 million Northwest Coast art collection that's just been donated to the UBC Museum of Anthropology.

The works, which include metalwork, carved masks, weavings, totem poles, and more, are a gift from late Calgary philanthropist Margaret Perkins Hess.

Hess, who was better known as “Marmie”, was a long-time art collector who died last September at the age of 100. Her estate is donating her significant collection of Northwest Coast metalwork, carved masks, weavings, totem poles and other unique items to MOA.

“UBC is honoured and delighted that Margaret Hess has entrusted MOA with this remarkable collection of Indigenous art,” said Professor Santa J. Ono, president of UBC. “These works will not only enhance MOA’s collection of Northwest Coast art, but will foster greater awareness and understanding of Indigenous cultures for our campus community, museum visitors and the wider B.C. community.”

Hess counted members of the Group of Seven among her friends, and was taken with Indigenous art during travels to B.C. and Nunavut. In 1970, she founded Calgary Galleries to create a platform to showcase Indigenous art.

Amid the donation's treasures are the little-seen works from Reid's young career, with masks, a gold brooch, a silver box, and an argillite figure making their return to the coast. The donation also includes a number of carvings by Victoria-based artist Henry Hunt.

“We are thrilled to add this diverse collection to MOA,” said Karen Duffek, curator of contemporary visual arts and Pacific Northwest at MOA, in a press announcement about the new collection. “These pieces tell an important story about Indigenous art in the 20^th century, highlighting a period when the artists played pivotal roles in the resurgence of Northwest Coast art practices.”

A selection from Hess’s collection is now on display at MOA opposite the Bill Reid Rotunda.