Scholarship Recipients
Scholarship Recipients:
- Use scholarship funding support to develop their art through attendance at workshops, schools or work with masters, mentors or elders in their particular media;
- Are introduced to established artists, galleries and the art community;
- Create artwork, displayed for one year at Vancouver International Airport.
2010 YVR Art Foundation Scholarship Recipients:
Cherish Alexander, Tsimshian. - sponsored by CIBC
Cherish recently completed a two-year program at the Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art, where she was the first female student when it started in 2006. She knew she wanted to attend the school as soon as she read the name; her study of Freda's masks was something she was doing on her own before the school was even created. Her instructors say that she excelled in mask making. Her proposal is to continue her studies in carving with mentor Stan Bevan during the summer of 2010. This will take place in Terrace, at the Kitselas canyon where Stan and fellow artists such as Dempsey Bob and Ken McNeil work during the summer. She proposes to carve a mountain lion figure.
Cherish feels a strong connection to her home community, Gitwangak (Kitwanga). Since childhood, she has had vivid dreams about her community's art. She documented what she has seen in those dreams, drawn the poles that she saw, and talked about them with her family so that they stay a clear memory to her. She treasures those dreams and believes that they are guiding her future in art. Cherish aspires to create art for her community which has some of the oldest poles still standing and her wish is to be able to carve a pole for her people.
"I know eventually I will learn to carve totem poles so that I can bring that back to my home community; the poles there are the most beautiful poles I have seen anywhere, but there is currently no one creating anymore there today, and I want to change that."
Ariane Medley, Haida - sponsored by Stantec Architecture
Ariane proposed to study Raven's Tail weaving with mentor Sherri Dick, and hopes to complete a Raven's Tail Robe as her project.
Ariane, whose Haida name is Xay Kuyaas (Precious Weaver), began her first apprenticeship at the age of 13, with Master Weaver, Isabel Rorick. She has been learning continually ever since, studying with a variety of mentors including most recently, Tsimshian Master Raven's Tail Weaver Willie White. She was born into a long line of weavers. Her grandmother is Master Weaver Primrose Adams and Isabel Rorick is her aunt.
Ariane says that weaving has taught her patience. "Having more patience has taught me about self discipline, where to find inspiration and motivation. I find that much of my inspiration comes from visiting pieces that my ancestors have woven in museums; from seeing other weavers accomplishing their goals in weaving. . . "
Geoffrey Gwaliga Hart, Haida -
sponsored by the Audain Foundation for the Visual Arts
Gwaliga proposes to study carving with mentor (and father) Jim Hart. "I plan to carve and paint a 7' x 22" red cedar and yew wood surfboard traditionally designed and painted so that it echoes are old canoe designs. From the Haida culture going through many cultural changes I believe this is the perfect example of showing positive cultural transitions in today's modern times. With old Haida canoes and paddles being elaborately carved and painted to show respect to the supernaturals, I feel that amalgamating these traditions into a surfboard design will be the most important aspect of it through honoring these old ways."
Gwaliga worked for five summers at Haida Gwaii's Rediscovery Youth Camp remotely located on its Northwest tip of the island in Taa Lang Slang (Lepas Bay). There they teach youth the Haida traditional life ways by living as close to the old ways as they can. "There is no power or running water at Rediscovery, we live together in longhouses and are together from sun up till sun down, over a two month period. It takes committed individuals to form a tightly knit group in order to work together very effectively to offer such and experience. Rediscovery was both challenging and enlightening; this rich cultural experience set the tone for the rest of my life."
Late in high school Gwaliga began working under his father, master carver, Jim Hart. He assisted on the totem pole project at the Bill Reid Gallery by helping create the copper shield on the "Celebration of Bill Reid Pole". He has also explored contemporary media, such as stop motion animation, designing and building the set decoration for the production of a traditional Haida narrative called "yaanii K'uuka." At the 2009 Imaginative Film Festival in Toronto, he debuted his short film "Grounded in Tradition", which was based on Haida language and perception.
Latham Mack, Nuxalk -
sponsored by the Vancouver International Airport Authority
Latham was born and raised in Bella Coola. Latham proposed to continue studying with mentor Dempsey Bob during the summer of 2010, to continue studying totem pole carving, design and proportions. His project will be to make a mask and a robe, to be danced at YVR next year. (This is Latham's second scholarship.)
"A couple of months ago I had a dream, in that dream I was dancing one of our masks in a long house. The Elders were talking to me before I went out to dance, they were telling me that our people have been dancing the traditional Eagle mask wrong and that they were going to show me how to dance it the proper way. They even gave me a blanket that specifically went with the dance. I put on the blanket and they gave me a mask and showed me the proper steps, then told me to go out and show our people the proper dance. For my final artwork I would like to take that dream and turn it into reality. I would love to carve an Eagle Mask and make a blanket to go with it, to be on display at the Vancouver International Airport. Not only would I make the two pieces, I would love to dance them to life at the scholarship award ceremony. An Elder once told me that we are going to dream it all back!"
Latham has been dancing since the age of 13, and is now a respected mask dancer in his village.
Todd Stephens, Nisga'a -
sposnsored by Kasian Architecture Interior Design and Planning Ltd.
Todd proposes to study with Dean Heron and "a variety of artists in Terrace". While in Vancouver for the Awards Reception, he will visit MOA to study historical bentwood boxes. His project will be four painted canvases that will be connected to create an open "box" - the four canvases joined together in a square. This is the second YVRAF Award for Todd.
Not only a talented artist, Todd has recently become a father, as well as a mentor/teacher in Terrace. Both of these new roles have influenced and inspired him in his desires to learn more about the ancient wisdom, and about the importance of passing the wisdom on to the young ones in the community. He has been teaching at the Wilp Simgan Carving Shed, and teaches basics in Northwest Coast art in Terrace Schools.
Emily Carr University Scholarship Recipient - sponsored by YVRAF
Anthony (Tony Charlie), Nuu-chah-nulth, from the Ahousaht Band
Tony has just completed his second year at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design. He has secured a Stanley Park windfall log, and plans to use this to create a 5'-6' red cedar Nuu-chah-nulth form-lined wolf. He realizes that this will be an ambitious project, but he believes that this log is special, in that it comes from the park, Coast Salish People's land, and that this will support him in is work. Carvers Rick Harry, Aaron Nelson Moody, and George Hand Jr. will mentor him. Tony will work on this project in the Emily Carr University's new Aboriginal Gathering Place, where other students, and the public, will be able to witness his progress.
Freda Diesing School Award Recipient - sponsored by YVRAF
Stephanie Anderson, from the Wet'suwet'en Nation, of the Frog Clan from the house of Laksilyu
Stephanie plans to complete her second year at the Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art, and continue her studies with master carvers Dempsey Bob, Ken McNiel, and Stan Bevan. While attending the second year, she will be learning about both the historic and contemporary art styles in First Nations Art. She is thinking ahead to her project for display at YVR next year, and at this point, sees a sculpted frog bowl, with fully formed legs that span out from the hollow bowl shape to the floor. She would like to create a carved raven's crest spoon to go with it.
Stephanie grew up working in her family's business - building traditional solid cedar wood caskets embellished with the families' personal crests. She learned a lot about the importance of quality workmanship, time management and self employment, but also about commitment to one's work, as these caskets take a long time to finish and you have be ready at a moment's notice to help people in their time of need.
In his letter of support, Stephanie's uncle Tony J. Bob says "Stephanie has embraced her rich culture through her dedication to the art of her people. . . Stephanie is of the generation of which the prophecy spoke, the young will bring back the ceremonies; she does this through her art."
Frank O'Neill Scholarship Award - Sponsored by YVR
Lacy Morin-Desjarlais, Saulteaux
Lacy has a diploma in Fine Arts from Langara College, and is currently studying Child and Youth Care Counseling, also at Langara College. She has also been volunteering with the Federation of BC Youth in Care Networks, a Provincial organization that works with youth in foster care. Having grown up in foster care herself, Lacy feels strongly that aboriginal children have access to their traditions, language, and various art forms. With a strong desire to pass on what she has learned, she has run a number of cultural workshops and uses her own experiences to mentor, support and advocate for all aboriginal children and youth growing up in the foster care system. Noting that over half of the children in the foster care system in BC are Aboriginal, she advocates that these children have proper cultural planning so that they have access to their traditions, language and various art forms. She uses her artwork as a tool for healing and to teach other children and youth how to share their voice, and to connect to their own First Nations culture. Her artwork has been featured in several publications put out by the Ministry of Children and Family Development, and has donated her artwork in support of youth organizations.
During this next year, Lacy plans to work with mentor Amy George to learn cedar weaving. She hopes to complete a cedar hat and traditional regalia during her program of study.
2009 YVR Art Foundation Scholarship Recipients:
Latham Mack
Morgan Green
Neil Goertzen
Sophia Beaton
Bryce Williams
2009 Emily Carr University Scholarship Recipient:
Michelle Stoney
2009 Northwest Community College Scholarship Winner:
Shawn Aster
2008 YVR Art Foundation Scholarship Recipients:
Sophia Beaton
Juanita Ens
Bryan Hunt
Dustin Rivers
Erika Stocker
2008 Emily Carr University Scholarship Recipient:
Tamara Skubovius
2008 Northwest Community College Scholarship Winner:
Todd Stephens
2007 YVR Art Foundation Scholarship Recipients:
Juanita Ens
Cori Savard
Marika Swan
2006 YVR Art Foundation Scholarship Recipients:
Raymond Boisjoly
Nykiya Graham
Kelvin Redvers
Morgan Green
Chrystal Sparrow
2005 YVR Art Foundation Scholarsihp Recipients:
Kwiaahwah Jones
Tamara Skubovius
Lianna Spence