Northwest Coast: Summer Group Exhibition

Featuring works by Corey Bulpitt, Rande Cook, Beau Dick, Alan Hunt, Kimberly Fulton Orozco, Cole Speck, Don Yeomans, Kyran Yeomans, Trace Yeomans, and more.

Alan Hunt (b. 1988) is of Kwakwaka’wakw and Tlingit ancestry and currently resides in Alert Bay, BC. Hunt received his chieftainship from his grandfather, Chief Alfred (Hutch) Hunt, in 2015. Hunt has also enjoyed the honour of being mentored by renowned carvers Wayne Alfred, Marcus Alfred, and Bruce Alfred. In 2013, Hunt began a long-term apprenticeship under master carver Beau Dick, which lasted until Dick’s death in 2017. Hunt worked closely with Beau Dick during his Artist-in-Residency at the UBC Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory in his studio in the Audain Art Centre. It was there that Hunt assisted Dick in the creation of his exhibition for documenta 14 (2017), which took place in Athens, GR and Kassel, DE. Like Beau Dick, Alan Hunt dedicates his practice to the promotion of Kwakwaka’wakw culture. Hunt carves in both Kwakwaka’wakw and Tlingit styles. Hunt enjoys collaborating on pieces and working with other artists on new projects. 

Corey Bulpitt (b. 1978), also known as Taakeit Aaya or “Gifted Carver” by the Haida of the Naikun Raven clan, was born in Prince Rupert, BC. He is the great-great-grandson of famed artist Charles Edenshaw (1839-1920) and prolific argillite carver Louis Collison (1881-1970). Bulpitt is an avid painter, jeweler, and wood and argillite carver who has enjoyed exploring many different mediums such as spray paint, which he uses to create large-scale paintings involving urban youth in Vancouver. He is known internationally for his fusion of hip hop culture and Haida traditional style in large-scale spray painted pieces, creating work for the National Gallery of Canada, Facebook Head Office in Seattle, and the Vancouver Mural Festival. As a member of the Beat Nation Live arts collective, Corey’s contemporary graffiti art pieces can be seen in many museums, festivals, and urban landscapes. Notably, Bulpitt assisted in crafting a 30-foot pole with Klatle Bhi for the 2010 Winter Olympics, as well as a performance art project for the Sydney Biennale. In 2017, he received the BC Creative Achievement Award for First Nations Art for Artistic Excellence in both traditional and contemporary visual art. Bulpitt is also a board member of the Bill Reid Foundation.

Rande Cook (b. 1977) is a Kwakwaka’wakw multimedia artist born in culture-rich Alert Bay. Surrounded by the beauty of the land and art, he found his passion for artistic creativity at an early age as he studied traditional jewellery and carving techniques under several master craftsmen including carver John Livingston (1951-2019). In 1991, Cook moved to Victoria where he was exposed to a wide range of art forms and practices from the Western tradition. With his unique accumulation of heritage, knowledge, and experience, Cook continually pushes boundaries to create beautiful and provocative works that challenge audiences to reconsider the role of traditional techniques for contemporary art-making. In 2015 and 2016, Cook held the Audain Professorship of Contemporary Art Practice of the Pacific Northwest with the Visual Arts Department at the University of Victoria.

Chief Beau Dick, Walas Gwa’yam (1955-2017) was a Kwakwaka’wakw (Musgamakw Dzawada’enuxw First Nation) artist and activist who was acclaimed as one of the Northwest Coast’s most versatile and talented carvers. He was born in the community of Alert Bay, BC, and lived in Kingcome Inlet, Vancouver, and Victoria before returning to Alert Bay to live and work. He began carving at an early age, studying under his father, Benjamin Dick, his grandfather, James Dick, and other renowned artists like Henry Hunt and Doug Cranmer. He also worked alongside master carvers Robert Davidson, Tony Hunt, and Bill Reid. In support of the Idle No More movement, Dick performed two spiritual and political Copper-breaking ceremonies on the steps of the British Columbia legislature in Victoria in 2013, and on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in 2014. Dick created several important public works over the course of his career, including a transformation mask for the Canadian Pavilion at Expo 86 in Vancouver and the Ga’akstalas Totem Pole for Stanley Park, carved with Wayne Alfred and raised in 1991. Dick’s work has been shown in exhibitions around the world, including Canada House, London, UK (1998); the 17th Biennale of Sydney, Australia (2010); documenta 14 in Athens, GR, and Kassel, DE (2017); The National Gallery of Canada (2017); and White Columns, New York (2019). He was the recipient of the 2012 VIVA Award and was artist-in-residence at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory from 2013 to 2017.

Kimberly Fulton Orozco’s work is centered on a deep, intentional move to reconnect with her Kaigani Haida heritage after it was systematically stripped from her grandmother and great-grandmother. She is Raven from the Yahgw’laanaas clan and received the name Sáandlaanaay, which simply means “first sunrise,” referring to a Haida origin story. Kimberly works as an artist, photography producer, and writer in Atlanta, Georgia. She holds a BFA in Drawing, Painting, and Printmaking from Georgia State University, and she is an MFA Studio Arts student at the Institute of American Indian Arts. Kimberly’s abstract artwork addresses the transmission of culture and culture as collateral for assimilation in relationship to the development of personal identity. She has studied Northwest Coast Art Theory under Jackson Polys and Northwest Coast design under David R. Boxley, Robert Mills, and Steve Brown. In 2020, Kimberly worked as the primary researcher and producer for the photo essay “Inspiring Awe in Alaska” for Smithsonian Magazine.

Cole Speck (b. 1991) was raised on the ‘Namgis reserve on the island of Alert Bay, BC. Speck comes from a strong cultural and artistic heritage. His great grandfather was the late Chief John Speck of the Tlowitsis, father of the late Henry Speck Sr. Cole is also the great grandson of the late Harry Hanuse of Mamalalaka (Village Island). As an apprentice of the late master carver Beau Dick, Speck continues to promote Kwakwaka’wakw culture through his practice and the knowledge gained from his mentor. Speck has a tremendous love and respect for his culture and aspires to keep traditions alive while allowing his contemporary style to emerge. In 2010, Speck assisted in the making of the Pat Alfred Memorial pole, and in 2012, he was selected by Rande Cook to apprentice on a totem pole that was installed in Holland for a special Northwest Coast exhibit. In 2017, Speck contextualized Beau Dick’s presentation at documenta 14 in Athens, GR and Kassel, DE through a re-telling of the Undersea Kingdom story. His work has been included in exhibitions at the Bill Reid Gallery, UBC’s Museum of Anthropology, White Columns in New York, and the Frans Hals Museum in the Netherlands. Cole lives and works in Wei Wai Kum, the ancestral territory of his grandmother, now known as Campbell River, BC.

Don Yeomans (b. 1958) was born in Prince Rupert, BC. His father was Haida from Masset, BC and his mother Métis from Slave Lake, Alberta. He has studied and worked in the Haida Style since he was a youth: first apprenticing under the expert guidance of his Aunt Freda Diesing in the early 1970’s, and shortly after, attending art school at Vancouver Community College in 1976. Later, he also started working under Haida artist Robert Davidson. After more than four decades, Yeomans has mastered many different media, including two-dimensional design, wood carving, and gold and silver jewellery. His reputation as a master carver has also yielded large-scale commissions around the world. Yeomans consistently incorporates new ideas into his foundational repertoire of traditional Northwest Coast design.

Kyran Yeomans (b. 1988) has been carving since 2005. His father, Don Yeomans, is one of the most prominent Haida carvers on the Northwest Coast. Much of Kyran’s apprenticeship has been under the tutelage of his father, and his carving is a testament to this experience, exhibiting the precision, detail, and creativity that his father is well-known for. Kyran has since embraced his own style as a multifaceted artist. In 2012, he made a short documentary that followed his father through the stages of carving a totem pole. Kyran brings his experiences as a photographer and musician to his carving practice, contributing a thoughtful and contemplative style to his work. He has worked in a variety of scales, ranging from detailed miniatures to monumental totem poles. His works have proved to be great examples of a highly skilled artist.

Trace Yeomans was born on Haida Gwaii to a Haida mother and a Ukrainian father. As a multidisciplinary artist working in a variety of media, her passion for art-making is fostered by beautiful Dance Regalia with appliquéd Haida designs and fabric art techniques. Her Haida style appliqué techniques point to her inspiration in designing pieces that are culturally significant to her combined dual heritage. Several of her works are displayed in museums around the world. Trace frequently works with her partner, Don Yeomans, combining their respective skills to create unique and critically acclaimed artworks. The duo collaborated on several totem pole commissions, including the monumental poles and oil paintings in the rotunda of the Vancouver International Airport.