Seeds of Tomorrow: A Meaningful Indigenous Art Commission by Rande Cook for a Corporate Client
Meaningful artwork has the power to transform more than a space—it can shape the way people connect with the values of an organization. Seeds of Tomorrow, a large-scale cedar sculpture series by Kwakwaka'wakw artist Rande Cook, demonstrates how contemporary Indigenous art can bring together culture, sustainability, and community within the built environment.
Commissioned for CIBC, the four-part installation reflects Indigenous understandings of reciprocity, stewardship, and regeneration through the elements of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. Carved from salvaged old-growth cedar, each sculpture offers a powerful reminder that the choices we make today shape the world future generations will inherit.
A Commission Rooted in Relationship
Unlike many public artworks that are created to decorate a space, Seeds of Tomorrow was conceived as an invitation to reflection.
The series grew organically from a single sculpture originally created for the exhibition Culturally Modified: The Relationships That Marked a Place in Time. That first work became the foundation for an interconnected cycle of four monumental cedar Seeds, each representing one of the elements while expressing the deep relationships between people, land, water, ceremony, and cultural knowledge.
Together, they remind viewers that sustainability is not simply an environmental objective but a lived practice rooted in reciprocity.
The Four Seeds
Rather than representing the elements as abstract symbols, Cook presents them as living relationships.
Air — Where Cedar Breathes the First Light
The white-grey Seed represents breath, beginnings, and the life-giving presence of cedar.
Within Kwakwaka'wakw teachings, cedar is understood as a relative rather than a resource. Before harvesting, gratitude is offered to acknowledge a reciprocal relationship between people and the forest.
The sculpture also references Culturally Modified Trees (CMTs)—cedars carefully harvested without being destroyed. These living witnesses continue to demonstrate generations of sustainable Indigenous forestry practices while highlighting the urgent need to protect both ecological and cultural knowledge.
Fire — Emergence
The red Seed explores renewal through Indigenous fire stewardship.
Inspired by cultural burning practices that regenerate ecosystems, the sculpture reflects how carefully guided fire creates healthier forests rather than destroying them. An abalone shell inlay introduces another layer of meaning, connecting fire with water and emphasizing the balance necessary for healthy ecosystems.
Like the first salmonberry blossoms emerging each spring, the work celebrates transformation and resilience.
Water — Integration
The blue Seed reflects connection.
Drawing inspiration from Devil's club, a plant associated with healing and protection, the sculpture considers the unseen relationships that bind people, land, and spirit together.
Just as rivers sustain forests and salmon, healthy relationships sustain communities.
Earth — Regeneration
The yellow Seed completes the cycle.
Inspired by camas meadows cultivated through generations of Indigenous stewardship, the sculpture speaks to nourishment, memory, and renewal.
Rather than looking backward, it asks how careful stewardship today can create abundance tomorrow.
Contemporary Indigenous Knowledge Through Art
Throughout his practice, Rande Cook explores how Indigenous knowledge systems remain deeply relevant to contemporary environmental conversations.
Created from salvaged old-growth cedar, Seeds of Tomorrow embraces the natural imperfections of the material. As Cook explains, the wood itself became a teacher, reminding him that resilience often emerges through challenge rather than perfection.
For Cook, regeneration extends beyond forests.
It also asks how communities, economies, and institutions might redefine prosperity through healthier relationships with the ecosystems that sustain them.
As the artist reflects:
"The seeds we plant today will become the forests of tomorrow."
Why Organizations Are Investing in Indigenous Art
Across Canada, corporations, healthcare institutions, universities, municipalities, and cultural organizations are increasingly commissioning Indigenous artists to create meaningful public spaces.
These commissions do more than enhance architecture. They create opportunities for dialogue, acknowledge Indigenous presence, foster cultural understanding, and demonstrate long-term commitments to reconciliation and environmental stewardship.
Large-scale artworks also become lasting landmarks—pieces that employees, visitors, and communities engage with for decades.
Seeds of Tomorrow illustrates how contemporary Indigenous art can communicate organizational values through beauty, craftsmanship, and storytelling.
Commissioning Monumental Indigenous Art
At Fazakas Gallery, we work closely with artists, architects, designers, and organizations to realize ambitious site-specific commissions.
From concept development through fabrication and installation, our team helps clients commission works that respond thoughtfully to architecture, landscape, and community.
Whether the goal is creating a welcoming corporate headquarters, a civic gathering place, or a culturally significant public installation, commissioned Indigenous artwork offers an opportunity to build spaces that inspire connection while supporting leading contemporary Indigenous artists.
Commission Contemporary Indigenous Art
If your organization is considering a site-specific artwork, public installation, or large-scale Indigenous art commission, Fazakas Gallery collaborates with artists to create projects that reflect both place and purpose.
Contact our team to begin a conversation about commissioning contemporary Indigenous artwork for your space.
