Indigenous Artists
Use the Indigenous Artists A-Z list below to see all the Indigenous artists who are included in the BC Artists Files collection. These files, which are largely comprised of news articles, gallery mailings, and miscellaneous pamphlet material, are located at the Central Library on Level 7. Please ask an information staff member for access. Note that artist files are reference items and can only be used in the library.
Indigenous Artists A-Z
| Artist | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Adams, Primrose, 1926-2020 | Haida |
| Alfred, Wayne, 1958- | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Allison, Darlene | Ojibway |
| Anghik, Abraham (aka Abraham Anghik Ruben), 1951- | Inuit |
| Assu, Sonny, 1975- | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Barkhouse, Mary Anne, 1961- | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Belmore, Rebecca, 1960- | Anishinaabe |
| Bob, Dempsey, 1948- | Tahltan and Tlingit |
| Boisjoly, Raymond, 1981- | Haida |
| Bolton, Rena Point 1927- | Stó:lō |
| Broomfield, Jody (Sinàmkin), 1976- | Squamish |
| Bulpitt, Corey (Ta'kiid Aayaa), 1978- | Haida |
| Cannell, Thomas, 1980- | Musqueam |
| Carlick, Wayne, 1958- | Taku River Tlingit |
| Carter, Liz | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Charlie, Simon (Hwunumetse’), 1920-2005 | Cowichan |
| Claxton, Dana, 1959- | Lakota |
| Cranmer, Douglas, 1927-2006 | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Dangeli, Mike, 1972- | Nisga'a, Tlingit, Tsetsaut, and Tsimshian |
| David, Joseph (Joe), 1946- | Nuu-chah-nulth |
| Davidson, Reg, 1954- | Haida |
| Davidson, Robert Charles (G̲uud San Glans), 1946- | Haida |
| DeMontigny, Angela | Cree/Métis |
| Derriksan, Noll Colin (Toussowasket) 1940-2020 | Okanagan (Westbank) |
| Dick, Beau ('Walas G̱wa̱ʼya̱m), 1955-2017 | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Dick, Butch Clarence (Yux'wey'lupton), 1946- | Lekwungen |
| Dick, Francis, 1959- | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Dick, James | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Dick, Simon, 1951- | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Diesing, Freda, 1925-2002 | Haida |
| Dixon, Pat, 1938-2015 | Haida |
| Dixon, Denny, 1944- | Haida |
| Edenshaw, Charles, 1839 -1920 | Haida |
| Edzerza, Alano, 1981- | Tahltan |
| Galanin, Nicholas, 1979- | Lingít and Unangax̂ |
| Grant, Dorothy, 1955- | Haida |
| Greene, Stan, 1953- | Stó:lō, Semiahmoo, and Niimíipu |
| Guujaaw (Gary Edenshaw) 1953- | Haida |
| Harris, Walter (Simogyet Geel), 1931-2009 | Gitxsan |
| Harry, Rick (Xwalacktun) | Squamish |
| Harper, Charles 1955- | Dakelh |
| Hart, Jim, 1953- | Haida |
| Helin, Bill (WeLaaxumYout),1960- | Tsimshian |
| Henderson, Mark, 1953-2016 | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Henderson, Sam, 1905-1982 | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Hitchcock, Sharon, 1951-2009 | Haida |
| Huhnley, William (Bill) L., Senior + Junior | Nuu-Chah-Nulth |
| Hunt, Calvin, 1956- | Kwakwaka'wakw (Kwakiutl) and Nuu-chah-nulth |
| Hunt, Henry, 1923-1985 | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Hunt, Richard, 1951- | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Hunt, Shawn, 1975- | Heiltsuk |
| Hunt, Tony, 1942-2017 | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| James, Simon Daniel | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| John, Jimmy, 1876-1986 | Nuu-chah-nulth |
| Joseph, Floyd (Tyee), 1953- | Squamish |
| Jungen, Brian, 1970- | Dunne-Za |
| Khatsahlano, August Jack, 1866-1971 | Squamish |
| Krentz, Richard, 1946-2014 | Shíshálh |
| LaRue, Norman, 1941?-2000 | Secwépemc |
| Lightbown, Greg (White), 1953- | Haida |
| Littlechild, George, 1958- | Plains Cree |
| Logan, Jim, 1955- | Métis |
| McGuire, Patrick Samuel, 1943-1970 | Haida |
| Marchand, Barbara | Okanagan Syilx |
| Martin, Mungo, Chief (Nakapenkem), 1879-1962 | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Mason, Curtis, 1954-1991 | Cree |
| Matilpi, Oscar, 1933-1999 | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Mills, Clarence, 1958- | Haida |
| Modeste, Gus, 1976-2020 | Penelakut |
| Moody, Rufus, 1923-1998 | Haida |
| Morgan, Judith Phyllis, 1930-2016 | Gitxsan |
| Muldoe, Earl (Chief Delgamuukw), 1936-2022 | Gitxsan |
| Nahanee, David, 1939- | Squamish |
| Nelson-Moody, Aaron (Tawx'sin Yexwulla), 1967- | Squamish |
| Nicolson, Marianne, 1969- | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Nyce, Peter | Nisga'a |
| Nyce, Dennis | Nisga'a |
| Oker, Garry | Dunne-Za |
| Oppenheim, Opie, 1945-2021 | C'eletkwmx |
| Paul, Lawrence (Yuxweluptun), 1957- | Cowichan and Sylix |
| Paul, Tim, 1950- | Nuu-chah-nulth |
| Peters, Joe Jr., 1959-1994 | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Petersen, Niels, 1963- | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Point, Susan, 1952- | Musqueam |
| Pointe, Shane (Te'ta-in) | Musqueam |
| Preston, Mark (Tenna-Tse-The), 1960-2022 | Tlingit |
| Read, Jason | Shíshálh |
| Reece, Victor (Whe'X Hue), 1946-2010 | Tsimshian |
| Reid, Bill, 1920-1998 | Haida |
| Rivet, Rick, 1949- | Métis |
| Robertson, Henry (Ga-ba-baawk), 1934-2016 | Haisla |
| Rorick, Isabel, 1955- | Haida |
| Rosso, Larry, 1944-2006 | Wet'suwet'en |
| Scoular, Derald, 1960- | Shíshálh |
| Scow, Leonard, 1962- | Kwakwaka’wakw |
| Seaweed, Willie, 1873-1967 | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Sebastian, Ron, 1945- | Gitxsan/Wet'suwet'en |
| Sheena, Gerry, 1964- | Nlaka’pamux |
| Smith, Harris (Lalkawilas), 1942-2005 | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Speck, Henry, Chief, 1908-1971 | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Sterritt, Art (Myanxa), 1948- | Gitxsan |
| Sterritt, Connie, 1968- | Gitxsan and Nuu-chah-nulth |
| Stewart, Krista Belle, 1979- | Syilx |
| Stewart, Patrick Reid | Nisga'a |
| Stiglitz, Randy, 1953- | Cree |
| Tait, Alver, 1943-2016 | Nisga'a |
| Tait, Isaac and Valerie | Nisga'a |
| Tait, Norman, 1941-2016 | Nisga'a |
| Tait, Robert, 1953-2018 | Nisga'a |
| Telek, Ron, 1962-2017 | Nisga'a |
| Thompson, Art, 1948-2003 | Nu-chah-nulth |
| Vickers, Arthur, 1947- | Heiltsuk and Tsimshian |
| Wadhams, Lloyd, Sr., 1938-1992 | Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Watts, Connie | Nuu-chah-nulth, Gitxsan and Kwakwaka'wakw |
| Wee Lay Laq, Laura, 1952- | Stó:lō |
| Williams Family | Nuu-chah-nulth (Ditidaht) |
| Williams, Richard Dennis (Rick), 1943- | Haisla |
| Wilson, Douglas, 1943- | Haida |
| Wilson, Hazel, 1941-2006 | Haida |
| Wilson, Lyle, 1955- | Haisla |
| Yahgulanaas, Michael Nicoll, 1954- | Haida |
| Yelton, Darren, 1961- | Squamish |
Reading & Resource Recommendations
| Reading Lists | Indigenous Visual Art & Artists |
| Books |
Where the Power Is: Indigenous Perspectives on Northwest Coast Art Call Number: 709.71101 D85w Brings together contemporary Indigenous knowledge holders with extraordinary works of historical Northwest Coast art that transcend the category of "art" or "artifact" and embody distinct ways of knowing and being in the world. Unsettling Native Art Histories on the Northwest Coast Call Number: 709.71101 U59b Focuses on "unsettling" Northwest Coast art studies by bringing forward voices that uphold Indigenous priorities, engage with past and ongoing effects of settler colonialism, and advocate for practices for more accountable scholarship. Knowledge Within: Treasures of the Northwest Coast Call Number: 709.71101 K73g Looks into seventeen of the numerous sites in the Pacific Northwest region with major collections of Northwest Coast Indigenous material culture, bringing attention to a wide range of approaches to caring for and exhibiting such treasures. Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists Call Number: 709.7101 H43a Showcases more than 115 artists from the United States and Canada, spanning over one thousand years, to reveal the ingenuity and innovation that have always been foundational to the art of Native women The Transforming Image, 2nd Edition: Painted Arts of Northwest Coast First Nations Call Number: 709.71101 M164t1 In the two decades since its initial publication, The Transforming Image has become a must-have book for scholars and appreciators of Northwest Coast art, and, importantly, for First Nations artists, who have found inspiration in its wealth of images and ideas. A new edition of this groundbreaking volume makes its invaluable findings accessible once again. Incorporating Culture: How Indigenous People Are Reshaping the Northwest Coast Art Industry by Solen Roth Call Number: 709.71101 R84i Examines how Indigenous artists and entrepreneurs are cultivating more equitable relationships with the companies that reproduce their designs on everyday objects. Seekers and Travellers: Contemporary Art of the Pacific Northwest by Gary Wyatt Call Number: 709.71101 W97s Traditional, cross-cultural and contemporary art are all explored in this beautiful book which covers a range of media, from glass work to weaving, wood carving to metal jewelry and highlights 36 of the most acclaimed artists on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. Challenging Traditions: Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast by Ian M. Thom Call Number: 709.71101 T45c Looks at the work of 40 active artists from various First Nations including Haida, Coast Salish and Tlingit peoples who work in a variety of media and styles from wood carving to manga. Sonny Assu: A Selective History Call Number: 709.71101 A85s Through large-scale installation, sculpture, photography, printmaking, and painting, Sonny Assu merges the aesthetics of Indigenous iconography with a pop-art sensibility. This stunning retrospective spans over a decade of Assu's career, highlighting more than 120 full-color works, including several never-before-exhibited pieces. Dana Claxton: Fringing the Cube Call Number: 709.71101 C61a Vancouver-based Dana Claxton, who is Hunkpapa Lakota (Sioux), has investigated notions of Indigenous identity, beauty, gender and the body, as well as broader social and political issues through a practice which encompasses photography, film, video and performance. Rooted in contemporary art strategies, her practice critiques the representations of Indigenous people that circulate in art. A Sense of Place: Art at Vancouver International Airport by Robin Laurence Call Number: 709.71101 V22L A spectacular overview of one of the most highly acclaimed art collections on the West Coast, which greets travellers at YVR as they journey between land, sea, and sky. Vancouver International Airport, known for its modern design and expansive topography, offers an impressive visual display of award-winning art and architecture. |
| Digital Library Resources |