Introducing the First Nations artists behind our collection of Northwest Coast Native art prints
Adam Lewis, born in 1982 and raised in Cape Mudge Village (We Wai Kai) on Quadra Island, BC, is a contemporary Kwakwaka’wakw artist whose work bridges tradition and modern expression. Growing up in the southernmost Kwakwaka’wakw nation, he spent countless hours surrounded by the artistry of his community, nurturing an...
Haida artist Alvin Child was born in Alert Bay in 1962. After his father passed away when he was an infant, his family moved to Nanaimo, BC, where his mother later remarried. Alvin recalls a supportive childhood shaped by his mother and adoptive father, Ron Child, who encouraged education. He...
Andy Wilbur Peterson is a member of the Skokomish Tribe. He began carving after being inspired by a tour of a museum exhibiting Northwest Coast art; and began exploring various art forms. By the age of 18, he had taught himself how to both, carve and paint. Later, Andy and...
Art Thompson was born in 1948 in the village of Whyac on the southern end of Nitinat Lake. He belonged to the Ditidaht Band of the Nuu‑chah‑nulth Nation. From an early age, he formed a strong connection to his culture after his initiation into the Tlukwalla society. His paternal grandfather...
Ben Davidson was the son of internationally renowned Haida artist Robert Davidson. He began carving as a young teenager under his father’s tutelage. He also worked with artists Reg Davidson and John Livingston. Ben specialized in wood sculpture, however he was also an experienced painter and jewellery maker. Ben Davidson...
Benjamin Chee Chee (1944-1977) was an artist of Ojibway descent from Temamgami, Ontario. He painted in a style heavily influenced by modern abstract painters. Chee Chee was renowned for his depictions of geese and other birds, calling them ‘creatures of the present’. He used flowing, graceful lines with minimal colour,...
Calvin Hunt was born in Alert Bay, British Columbia, in 1956. As the son of the late Chief Thomas Hunt and Emma Hunt, he is a descendant from both the Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwagiulth) and Nuu-chah-nulth peoples. He is also descendant of the renowned Tlingit ethnologist, George Hunt. Hunt is largely known...
Carol Young was a member of the Haida Nation Eagles of Haida Gwaii. She was a descendant of Labret Woman. Her great grandmother was Susan Smith. Her grandmother, who passed away when her mother was only a few months old, was Maria Kithdlaiga. Carol’s mother was Freda Courtney, nee Jones....
Cecil Youngfox (1942-1987) was born in Blind River, Ontario to Ojibway and Metis parents. Youngfox’s works were most heavily influenced by his Metis heritage and Christian upbringing, often depicting myths, legends, native traditions, and contemporary issues. His style employed gracefully curved and vividly coloured figures that were symbols of spirituality. During...
Charles Elliott (Temosen) is a Coast Salish artist from the T’sartlip First Nation on Southern Vancouver Island. Throughout his career as an artist, Elliott has created many contemporary Coast Salish designs and artworks, as well as traditional wood carvings. He is also a painter and has created many serigraph prints....