Heiltsuk artist KC Hall represents a new generation of native artists. He is combining graffiti with traditional form line and in the process is reaching a whole new group of art enthusiasts. The thought that he might be ruffling the feathers of traditionalists along the way is of no concern to him. KC says, “Native art is nothing like it was 10 years ago. At one point everything was changing except for the form itself (….) and now people are adding to it and making it a newer version of its.... Read more >>

The area from Vancouver Island to the lower BC mainland and the coastline all the way down to Oregon has been home to the Coast Salish for millennia. This is also where a very unique breed of dog, which came to be known as the Salish Wool dog, has its origin.
When Spanish explorer Juan Jose Perez Hernandez and his crew first made contact with the Coast Salish in 1774, they did not expect to find a civilization dressed in woven clothing. Up to this point, every indigenous person they had .... Read more >>

Kwakwaka'wakw art has a long history of tradition and innovation, of legacy and inventiveness. Since the beginning, it’s been an evolving exploration of expression, design and form. But first: Who are the Kwakwaka’wakw? The Kwakwaka’wakw (pronounced Kwak-wak-ya-wak), or Kwagiulth, are the original inhabitants of northern Vancouver Island, the adjacent mainland and the islands in between. Kwakwaka'wakw literally translates as "Those who speak Kwak'wala", describing the collective nati.... Read more >>

Kwakwaka'wakw native artist Francis Dick was born in 1959 into the Musqamakw Dzawadaenutw Band of Kingcome Inlet. She is a descendant of the supernatural Wolf, Kawadelekala, who shed his animal form to become the first of the Kingcome people. Francis Dick spent the majority of her childhood in Alert Bay, off the northwest coast of Vancouver Island, and later moved to Victoria to attend the University of Victoria and pursue a career in social work. She quickly realized, however, that her true .... Read more >>