Conference Logo

Renowned artist Robert Barratt created the logo especially for the 10^th International Symposium on Mucopolysaccharide and Related Diseases. The theme of the conference is reflected in the artwork.

“Frog is one of the most important creatures in northwest coast art and culture and serves as a family or clan crest for many of the coastal tribes. By virtue of their amphibious nature, they are revered for their ability to traverse and inhabit diverse realms, particularly the natural and the supernatural. Frogs are also vocal creatures and so are seen as great communicators, often representing the voice of the people. Since they are able to transcend the boundaries between the spirit and the natural worlds, their songs are thought to contain divine power and magic. It is not surprising that frogs are associated with healing and medicine and are foremost among the spirit helpers of the shamans.

When frog is depicted in northwest coast art, it is often shown sharing or touching its tongue with others. This is a way of displaying the exchange or transfer of spiritual knowledge, wisdom and power between realms. Similarly, eyes closed or half open is often a means of indicating a creature or human in what we might characterize as a “trance-like” state but, more accurately, is a state of direct communication with the supernatural realms and the knowledge and wisdom that they contain.”