Award Category: First Nations Art Award

Latham Mack has been practicing his Nuxalk nation’s art since he a was a child. Growing up in Bella Coola surrounded by artistic family members and attending Acwsalcta School exposed him to culture and art at a very young age. As a youth artist he would sell his painted plaques to travellers waiting at the BC Ferries terminal. He learned carving from his late grandfather, hereditary chief Lawrence Mack, and by grade 10 he helped carve a 20-foot totem pole with Tony Speers. At Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art, Latham was mentored by world-renowned artists Stan Bevan, Ken McNeil and Dempsey Bob. Latham was apprenticed under Dempsey Bob for five years following graduation. Now, as an established artist, Latham’s works are found in collections around the world, from UBC’s Museum of Anthropology to the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle, Washington and many private collections in-between. As a Nuxalk artist Latham has stayed faithful to the traditional forms, bending them to form his own contemporary style.

 

Kwakwaka’wakw artist, Jamie Gentry grew up immersed in culture and surrounded by talented artists. From a young age she was drawn to working with her hands, whether it was sewing, beading or weaving. For the last eight years, Jamie has been making custom moccasins for clients – each pair is cut, beaded, sewn and carved by hand. Her goal is to make meaningful connections through moccasin making, contributing a purposeful product to the world, building connections and sharing culture. Her belief is that by making a connection with the maker and the product, we are more likely to hold that product closer to us, and it is less likely for that product to end up in a landfill. Jamie’s focus is on style, comfort and durability with an emphasis on sustainability.

Jamie was selected by the independent jury as the 2022 Crabtree McLennan Emerging Artist.

The Crabtree McLennan Emerging Artist designation was established in 2016. Named in honour of Brenda Crabtree, Director, Aboriginal Programs, Emily Carr University and the late Bill McLennan (1948-2020), Curator Emeritus, UBC Museum of Anthropology, this recognition aims to highlight and support emerging talent.

 

Born in Victoria, Qwul’thilum Dylan Thomas is a Coast Salish artist and member of the Lyackson First Nation of Valdes Island, through his grandfather, Clifford Thomas. Although Dylan grew up in the urban setting of Victoria, he was introduced to Coast Salish art at a young age which ignited a lifelong passion for the art form – and, eventually, led him to seek guidance from established artists. Dylan received training in jewellery techniques from the late Seletze (Delmar Johnnie) and studied under Rande Cook in various mediums of Northwest Coast art. Over the past four years, Dylan has shifted his focus towards wood and stone carving and is now mainly focused on exploring Coast Salish sculpture. In 2019, Dylan was selected by the City of Victoria as the Indigenous Artist in Residence where he aimed to “create work that meaningfully honours the local Indigenous people – past, present, and future”.

Reg Davidson is a master Haida Artist recognized for his numerous and significant contributions to protecting and advancing Haida culture. He is known for producing significant traditional ceremonial objects such as masks, bentwood drums and dance regalia. Reg, an accomplished dancer, has mentored and taught two generations of Haida children the importance of Haida language and traditional song and dance. As an avid fisherman, he has provided his elders with food while participating in ecological protection projects that help safeguard the abundance of sea life in Haida Gwaii. Reg’s carvings have been commissioned locally and internationally, and many can be viewed right in BC, including a large sculpture grouping of the Blind Halibut Fisherman at Vancouver International Airport. Over many decades of committed artistry, Reg at his studio, has trained, taught and employed many artists who live in and off Haida Gwaii. With no art schools in Haida Gwaii, Reg has become a necessary agent of artistic education for younger local artists. Reg’s most recent project is a memorial pole in dedication to the life of his nephew Ben Davidson.

In recognition of his extraordinary and sustained accomplishment in First Nations Art in BC, Reg was selected to receive the 2022 Award of Distinction. The award is presented to an  individual who has helped ensure that BC is a place filled with astonishing craft, with unique and immensely expressive power and continuous wonder. 

Sgaanjaad Sherri Dick is a traditional Chilkat and Raven’s Tail weaver, an ancient form of wool weaving that dates back over 10,000 years. Inspired by her great grandmother Isabelle Edenshaw, Sherri started weaving at the age of 25, first with spruce root and then later cedar. Sherri was introduced to wool weaving at a workshop hosted by Evelyn Vanderhoop and shortly after began a three-year apprenticeship studying with her mentor William White.

Sherri’s work consists of blankets, leggings, aprons, headdresses, potlatch and medicine bags – all used in traditional ceremony. Her pieces have been presented at the Museum of Northern BC in Prince Rupert, Bill Reid Art Gallery in Vancouver and Haida Heritage Museum in Skidegate. Sherri was commissioned to produce a full regalia mannequin in pounded cedar and Raven’s Tail which is on permanent display at the Haida Heritage Museum.

In addition to Chilkat, Raven’s Tail, and cedar weaving, Sherri practices beadwork, fan making, applique button blankets, and ceremonial medicine. Sherri shares her knowledge with students, nurturing and cultivating their talents, and encouraging them to become major producers of Haida traditional regalia.

An artist of Dene and Carrier ancestry, Crystal Behn specializes in traditional and modern beadwork that is both customizable and unique. Born and raised in Treaty 8 territory, Crystal learned the art of beading, moccasin making and traditional harvesting from her grandmother. Crystal uses as many different natural materials as possible including hand smoked moose hide, moose antler, porcupine quills, glass stones, caribou hair, fish scales, birchbark and beads.

Working with these materials gives Crystal an important connection to the land and reflects her commitment to honouring the process that goes into creating the hide from hunt to finished art piece. From beaded poppies, cuffs, mukluks to shawls, her creations reflect her vision and embrace the knowledge passed down from her mother, auntie and grandmother.

Crystal’s home-based business In Her Footsteps Authentic Dene Designs was built one bead at a time and, as an artist for Manitobah Mukluks, her pieces continue to sell out. A pair of Crystal’s beaded mukluks were part of an exhibit entitled Reconciliation at Two Rivers Gallery in 2019. Crystal has received accolades for her work including a scholarship to Island Mountain Arts, people’s choice award and chosen award at the Peace Liard Juried Art Exhibit.

Crystal was selected by the independent jury as the 2021 Crabtree McLennan Emerging Artist.

The Crabtree McLennan Emerging Artist designation was established in 2016. Named in honour of Brenda Crabtree, Director, Aboriginal Programs, Emily Carr University and the late Bill McLennan (1948-2020), Curator Emeritus, UBC Museum of Anthropology, this recognition aims to highlight and support emerging talent.

Dean Hunt is a visual artist, traditional tattoo practitioner and music producer from the Eagle Clan of the Heiltsuk Nation, Waglisla (Bella Bella). Dean underwent a formal five-year apprenticeship with his father Bradley Hunt and older brother Shawn Hunt, where he learned the skills of Heiltsuk carving and design. Dean uses the tools and techniques his ancestors fought to hold onto through times of hardship and oppression, not only in his more traditional art practices, but also in his contemporary use of sound.

Constantly pushing the evolution of Heiltsuk art forward, Dean is a part of the movement to modernize the art form. Dean balances innovation with his desire to stay true to the ancestors’ ways of doing things. A storyteller, Dean often depicts narrative scenes on his jewellery which is highly sought after by collectors from all over the world.

Dean’s work has been part of notable exhibitions such as Continuum: Vision and Creativity on the Northwest Coast at Bill Reid Gallery; Shore, Forest, and Beyond: Art from the Audain Collection at the Vancouver Art Gallery; and Satellite Gallery’s Cindy Sherman Meets Dzunukwa Art from the Michael & Inna O’brian Collection. In 2017, the Lattimer Gallery hosted an exhibition titled Hálúɫ (Fresh) featuring Dean and fellow Heiltsuk artist KC Hall.

A member of the ‘Namgis First Nation, Shawn is a descendant of the Alfred, Hunt, Scow and Innis families. He also has blood ties to the Tlingit, Nuu-cha-nulth and Heiltsuk First Nations. Shawn’s late father, Gus (artist, musician, writer and outdoorsman) is Dutch and immigrated with his family to Canada from the Netherlands shortly after World War II.

Shawn began his training in the Victoria public school Native art program, with George Hunt Jr. and Victor Newman, both of whom are members of Shawn’s family. During this period, he was introduced to the culture and history of the Kwakwaka’wakw and other west coast First Nations. He learned design, painting and basic carving. Early in his career, Shawn had the opportunity to work under Tony Hunt Sr., Tony Hunt Jr., and John Livingston in the “Arts of the Raven” carving shed. Moving back to Alert Bay, he also learned jewellery making from Fah Ambers while continuing to study carving from Beau Dick and Wayne Alfred. Shawn has also worked with, and alongside, many of his peers and younger artists, some from other First Nations: “Good friends influence good art”.

For five years, Shawn was part of the carving program at the Royal B.C. Museum and in 2001 volunteered to work on the ITUSTO project, restoring the world’s tallest freestanding totem pole at Beacon Hill Park in Victoria. Shawn’s desire to continuously refine his skills and knowledge is the driving force behind his art. Known for his generous spirit, Shawn has become a keeper of his First Nation’s rituals, knowledge and traditions, and is often called upon to help with community potlatches and projects. By giving back, Shawn honours those who shared their teachings with him.