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Announcing Our Honorary Degree + Emily Award Recipients for 2022

EAHD2022

L-R: Xwalacktun, T’uy’t’tanat-Cease Wyss, Vanessa Kwan. (Images courtesy Xwalacktun, T’uy’t’tanat-Cease Wyss, Vanessa Kwan)

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By Emily Carr University

Posted on | Updated

This year’s recipients will receive their honours during ECU’s convocation ceremony on May 11.

Emily Carr University of Art + Design is pleased to announce 2022 Honorary Degrees will be bestowed upon artist, ethnobotanist, curator, educator, and activist T’uy’t’tanat-Cease Wyss, and artist, educator and master carver Xwalacktun O.B.C.

This year’s Emily Award will be presented to artist, producer and curator Vanessa Kwan, who graduated from ECU in 2004 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

“It is a true privilege to bestow this year’s honorary degrees and Emily Award upon these three esteemed artists, educators and changemakers,” Gillian Siddall, President + Vice-Chancellor of Emily Carr University, says. “Through their respective practices, each has defined new ways of being in the world, and created new paths for expressions of creativity and conscience.”

“All three are natural leaders who inspire others to reach further with their own work, and to collectively strive for a future defined by a commitment to justice, equity and community. I commend each of them on their extraordinary accomplishments.”

All three will receive their honours during ECU’s convocation ceremony on May 11, 2022.

Each year the Honorary Degree Program celebrates and recognizes the commitment, dedication, and service of individuals who are distinguished by their significant contributions and sustained creative and philanthropic achievements in their areas of expertise.

The annual Emily Award Program recognizes the outstanding achievements of members of the alumni community whose creative pursuits in the arts, media and design have brought honour to the university.


Skwxwu7mesh/Sto:Lo/Hawaiian/Swiss

T'uy't'tanat- Cease Wyss is an interdisciplinary artist who works with digital media, writing, performance and land-based remediations as her multi-disciplinary arts practice. She is a community engaged and public artist and ethnobotanist.

Her works range over 30 years and have always focused on sustainability, permaculture techniques, Coast Salish Cultural elements and have included themes of ethnobotany, Indigenous language revival, Salish weaving and digital media technology.

Internationally recognized Skwxwú7mesh Squamish Nation artist, Xwalacktun O.B.C. was born and raised in Squamish and carries with him the rich ancestries of his father (Squamish Nation) and mother (Kwakwakw'wakw Nation). He was given his Indigenous name by his father, Pekultn, who was a hereditary chief, originally from the Seymour Creek area in North Vancouver. Xwalacktun attended ECU and Capilano College and credits both with helping him acquire skills in starting his career. But it is his endurance and commitment through trial and error, and deep commitment to the community, that has helped propel him forward as an artist. He has received numerous honors and awards including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2013) and the Order of British Columbia (2012) for his many contributions to British Columbia, Canada, and beyond.

Healing, growth, and raising awareness of the environment are central themes in Xwalacktun’s work. His focus on how traditional stories relate to his own life suggests that ancient knowledge can be called upon to help heal ourselves and our community.

Vanessa Kwan is an artist, producer, and curator with a focus on collaborative, site-specific and cross-disciplinary practices. They are currently Program Director at grunt gallery on unceded Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh territories (Vancouver, Canada). Their impact within the arts ecology of Vancouver and Canada is widely felt. Through their professional career thus far, they have worked across many organizations and institutions, including the Vancouver Art Gallery, Other Sights for Artists' Projects, Access Gallery, Powell Street Festival and Out On Screen. They regularly write, speak and publish on art and culture, and since 2018 have been producing projects across the Pacific Rim (Vancouver, Seoul, Melbourne and Sydney) exploring artist-led creative exchange. In addition, they are a widely respected artist, and have produced significant public art works including Geyser for Hillcrest Park (with Erica Stocking), Speaker A, a permanent sound installation co-created with Theatre Replacement (Maiko Yamamoto and James Long) and Particles, an upcoming collaborative media work.

Kwan builds community through a strong ethics of care, a collaborative approach, and a commitment to modelling unconventional ways of thinking with others. Their work builds the capacity of all involved, and foregrounds the transformative possibilities of art practices. In their role as Program Director of grunt gallery, they continue to support emerging and emergent artists and practices, providing mentorship and support for many, including current ECU students and alumni.