Media Report on Hudson Museum Artifact, Possible Inspiration for NFL Team Logo
An artifact from the University of Maine’s Hudson Museum was the focus of several media reports, including the CityLab article, “The indigenous art behind the Seahawks’ helmet.” The native mask, which is on loan to Seattle’s Burke Museum, may be the inspiration of the original team logo for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks. The wooden Northwest Coast transformation mask depicts a bird of prey when closed and reveals a painted depiction of a human face when opened. The artifact is part of the Hudson Museum’s William P. Palmer III collection.
It will be on temporary display for the public in Seattle from November 22 to July 27 as part of the Burke’s “Here & Now: Native Artists Inspired” exhibit, according to the article. The exhibit will highlight contemporary art specifically inspired by the museum’s own collection, and the mask will be displayed next to Native artists’ interpretations of the NFL team’s identity, the article states.
Seahawks.com, seattlepi, The Daily of the University of Washington, KING 5 and Q13 Fox (in Seattle) also reported on the mask.