xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ, (Tsleil-Waututh) / Vancouver, BC (August 12, 2025): The BC Achievement Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Polygon Award in First Nations Art. Presented annually, this award honours excellence in traditional, contemporary, and media art by Indigenous artists in British Columbia, celebrating their creativity, cultural knowledge, and contributions to community.
“The 2025 Polygon Award in First Nations Art recognizes artists whose work reflects deep cultural roots and a powerful creative voice. This year’s recipients carry forward tradition while shaping new ways of seeing, reminding us of the strength, courage, and vitality of First Nations art today,” said Walter Pela, Chair of the BC Achievement Foundation. Now in its 19th year, the Polygon Award in First Nations Art recognizes BC-based Indigenous artists for excellence in their discipline, as well as their mentorship, storytelling, and cultural stewardship.
The 2025 recipients are:
- Rebecca Baker-Grenier, Kwakiutl, Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw, Skwxwu7mesh, Chilliwack
- Gordon Dick, Tseshaht, Port Alberni
Crabtree McLennan Emerging Artist:
- Kari Morgan, Nisga’a, Terrace
Award of Distinction:
- Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun Lets’lo:tseltun
Cowichan (Hul’q’umi’num Coast Salish) and Okanagan (Syilx), Vancouver
The 2025 recipients are selected by an independent jury of past awardees and First Nations artists recognized for their artistic accomplishments:
- Lisa Hageman Yahgulanaas (Haida) – 2010 awardee
- Thomas Cannell (Musqueam) – 2014 awardee
- James Harry (Squamish) – 2021 awardee
Advisors to the jury are Connie Watts (Nuu-chah-nulth, Gitxsan, Kwakwaka’wakw) and Brenda Crabtree, OBC (Spuzzum Band, Nlaka’pamux, Sto:lo).
A ticketed award ceremony and dinner will be held on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, at the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre in Vancouver, BC. The event will feature short films honouring each awardee’s artistic journey.
The 2025 First Nations Art and Applied Art + Design Exhibition will run from Tuesday, November 18 to Wednesday, November 25 at the same venue. This free, public exhibition will highlight the work of all 2025 recipients across both programs.
Online recognition will continue via the #shinethelightbc campaign, featuring the artists’ stories and impact.
Interviews with representatives of the BC Achievement Foundation and award recipients are available upon request. A media kit, including awardee bios and high-resolution images, can be found here.
For more information about the BC Achievement Foundation and the Polygon Award in First Nations Art program, please visit www.bcachievement.com.
About BC Achievement
BC Achievement is an independent foundation established in 2003 that celebrates the spirit of excellence in our province and serves to honour the best of British Columbia. In addition to the Polygon Award in First Nations Art, the organization presents several established programs, including the Indigenous Business Award, the Applied Art + Design Award, the Community Award and in partnership with the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, the BC Reconciliation Award. By recognizing the accomplishments of our province’s entrepreneurs, artists, community leaders, youth and volunteers, BC Achievement’s award programs pay tribute to exceptional people, doing exceptional work, while carving a path forward for others to follow.
Partners
BC Achievement gratefully acknowledges the generous support of program donors Polygon Homes Ltd and KPMG, and community partners Denbigh Fine Art Services and The Roundhouse, all of whom play key roles in elevating Indigenous artists across the province. BC Achievement remains committed to celebrating excellence, amplifying success, and inspiring future generations through the accomplishments of these talented artists.
-###-
Media Contacts
Gemma Bishop
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Gather Public Relations
T: 604-375-6953
E: gemma@gatherpublicrelations.com
Rup Grewal
Communications Director
BC Achievement Foundation
T: 604-261-9777 (Ext 102)
E: rup@bcachievement.com
2025 First Nations Art Awardee Backgrounders
Kari Morgan, Nisga’a
Terrace
2025 Crabtree McLennan Emerging Artist Recipient
Kari Morgan, of Nisga’a (House of Kw’isk’ayn), European, and Métis heritage, is a sculptor, painter, and designer whose multidisciplinary practice bridges tradition and innovation. Born in Prince Rupert and trained at the Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art under master carvers Dempsey Bob, Stan Bevan, and Ken McNeil, Kari’s work explores the tension between contemporary expression and traditional form.
Kari believes traditional art is more than a visual language for the people of the Northwest, she believes it is medicine for the soul. Her practice honours ancestral knowledge and aims to display the strengths of her culture and people to entice a positive narrative change.
Through exhibitions across BC and the Pacific Northwest, Kari uplifts Indigenous voices and invites new ways of seeing. Her commitment to cultural strength and creative exploration marks her as a powerful emerging force in the art world.
Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun Lets’lo:tseltun, Cowichan (Hul’q’umi’num Coast Salish) and Okanagan (Syilx)
Vancouver
2025 Award of Distinction Recipient
Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun Lets’lo:tseltun, of Cowichan (Hul’q’umi’num Coast Salish) and Okanagan (Syilx) descent, is one of Canada’s most influential and unflinching contemporary artists. For over four decades, Lawrence has used painting, installation, and performance to challenge colonial narratives, confront systemic injustices, and assert Indigenous sovereignty. His work is both politically charged and artistically groundbreaking—often combining traditional Coast Salish aesthetics with surrealist and pop art influences to powerful effect.
Living and working on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples, Lawrence has exhibited globally, including at the Tate Modern, the Vancouver Art Gallery, and the National Gallery of Canada.
In 2016, the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia mounted a major 30-year survey of his work, titled Unceded Territories, cementing his status as a critical voice in Indigenous and contemporary art. Lawrence’s art demands engagement, calling viewers to reckon with truth, history, and the future of this land.
Rebecca Baker-Grenier, Kwakiutł | Dzawada’enuxw | Skwxwú7mesh
Chilliwack
Rebecca Baker-Grenier, of Kwakiuł, Dzawada’enuwx, and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh ancestry, is a fashion designer whose work carries deep ancestral connection and cultural strength. A regalia designer since age eleven, Rebecca has created pow-wow and performance regalia for her family and for the Dancers of Damelahamid, with her designs featured on national and international stages since 2016.
Holding a BA in Indigenous Studies from UBC, Rebecca began her fashion design journey in 2021, apprenticing under Himikalas Pam Baker and completing the Indigenous Couture Residency at Banff Centre. Her collections have since appeared at New York Fashion Week, SWAIA Santa Fe, Indigenous Fashion Arts Toronto, and Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week.
Her garments have been worn on red carpets and featured in Vogue, Elle Canada, and museum exhibitions, and are known for their elegance, cultural grounding, and refined detail. Through her work, Rebecca offers bold, beautiful reflections of Indigenous resilience, pride, and creativity.
Gordon Dick, Tseshaht and Nuu-chah-nulth
Port Alberni
Tseshaht and Nuu-chah-nulth artist Gordon Dick’s creativity and skill advance the visual language of Nuu-chah-nulth art. Inspired by the ceremonial artistry of his grandparents and family Potlatches, Gordon began creating as a young man, initially teaching himself jewellery engraving after watching Kwakwaka’wakw artist Dennis Matilpi at work. His practice has since grown to include masks, panels, totem poles, bronzes, and carvings that reflect his cultural heritage with precision, humility, and beauty.
Deeply rooted in community and tradition, Gordon carries forward the legacy of celebrated artists like Art Thompson, Joe David, and Tim Paul—mentors and peers who recognized his commitment and craftsmanship. Whether crafting a wedding ring or a monumental memorial pole, Gordon’s work radiates care, balance, and meaning.
Through Ahtsik Native Art Gallery, his studio and carving space in Tseshaht territory, Gordon shares knowledge and welcomes the public into a living dialogue with Nuu-chah-nulth culture, strength, and story.