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Alumni Honoured with BC First Nations Art Awards

Harry Parnell X 895
Xwalacktun/Luke Parnell
Ottawa Citizen/Institute of American Indian Arts
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By Roxanne Toronto

Posted on | Updated

Xwalacktun ('82) and Luke Parnell (MAA '12) receive BC Creative Achievement Foundation Awards.

Emily Carr University is delighted to share news that alumni Xwalacktun ('82) and Luke Parnell (MAA '12) have been awarded BC Creative Achievement Awards for First Nations Art. This annual award celebrates artistic excellence in traditional, contemporary or media art.

Premier Christy Clark and BC Achievement Foundation Chair Keith Mitchell announced the recipients yesterday, November 15, 2016. The 10th annual celebration of awards will be presented later this fall at a formal ceremony in Vancouver.

"These 2016 award recipients, continue a tradition of excellence in First Nations Art that the Foundation has had the privilege of honouring over the past decade. We thank Polygon Homes, its Chair, Michael Audain, and its President, Neil Chrystal, for their tremendous commitment and support of the BC Creative Achievement Awards for First Nations Art.”

Keith Mitchell, BC Achievement Foundation Chair

Emily Carr Honorary Doctorate recipient Susan Point, a Coast Salish artist from Musqueam, will receive this year's Lifetime Achievement Award, an honour bestowed on individuals who have made a profound contribution to their First Nations culture.

2016 Recipients:

Corrine Hunt – Kwakiutl / Komoyue
Maxine Matilpi – Ma’mtagila / Tlowitsis
Corey W. Moraes – Lax Kw’alaams
Luke Parnell – Nisga’a / Haida
Xwalacktun – Coast Salish / Squamish / Kwakwaka'wakw

Members of the jury panel included: world renowned carver and teacher Stan Bevan; Aboriginal Program Director at Emily Carr University, Brenda Crabtree; the Museum of Anthropology's Curator Emeritus, Bill McLennan; and celebrated curator and artist, Tania Willard.

Congratulations!

Xwalacktun's (aka Rick Harry) work has changed the artistic and physical landscape both within Canada and internationally through a range of commissions, community endeavors, and exhibitions. In Scotland, poles stand as a symbol of friendship between Europe and Canada. Throughout Salish territory, Xwalacktun's pieces – created in a variety of mediums: wood, concrete, metal, rock – can be found on top of mountains, in parks, at elementary, secondary and post-secondary institutions, in communities and in museums. Lovingly referred to as "The Boss", this Master artist has influenced thousands of emerging artists through the school systems inspiring them to connect with their creative spirit. Fluent in multiple forms of First Nation's design, Xwalacktun shares both his cultural knowledge and innovation while ensuring each piece speaks to important themes such as interconnectedness, community, and environmental awareness. His relaxed teaching approach, combined with his commitment to excellence, both inspires and stretches students to experiment, communicate, and connect with their audiences.

Luke Parnell is an artist of Haida and Nisga’a heritage who, through the use of traditional techniques from the Northwest Coast, investigates contemporary social issues. Traditional Northwest Coast art was centred on the convergence of intangible and material wealth: an individual’s rights and privileges and the objects that represented them. Parnell’s work continues to address ideas of rights, ownership, and privilege in the context of his own experience. Graduating with a bachelors degree from the Ontario College of Art and Design, and later gaining a masters from Emily Carr University of Art + Design (graduating with distinction), Parnell was the recipient of the 2012 Winsor Gallery Graduate Student Award. The National Gallery of Canada has collected Parnell’s work and he has exhibited in various galleries across the country.