Brent Sparrow Jr. (b. 1970) is an artist and carver who apprenticed with his mother, Coast Salish artist Susan Point, and with adopted Kwakwaka’wakw artist John Livingston since 2006. Sparrow studied welding at BCIT, receiving a provincial “B” Red Seal, as well as completing the first year of Steel Fabrication. Brent has gained experience working with Susan Point on the creation and installation of numerous public art projects, including pieces for the City of Vancouver, the City of Richmond, the Stanley Park Gateways, the Vancouver Convention Centre, the YVR Skytrain Station and Seattle Children’s Hospital. In addition to his many works at UBC, he has commissioned works for CBC and VANOC Killarney Community Centre.
Ellen Neel (1916-1966) was an artist and carver from Alert Bay on Vancouver Island and the granddaughter of Yakuglas, Charlie James, a Kwakwaka’wakw carver who produced the house posts in Stanley Park. Neel moved to Vancouver with her husband in 1943, where they opened Totem Art Studios and later a workshop at Ferguson Point in Stanley Park. Neel is known as the first woman totem pole carver and was instrumental in helping to revitalize the carving tradition in the Kwakwaka’wakw community. Her artistic legacy continues for generations through her impact on countless Northwest Coast artists, including her own grandson David A. Neel and Kwakwaka’wakw carver and activist Beau Dick (1955-2017).
Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds (b. 1954) is an internationally known artist and scholar of Cheyenne and Arapaho descent. Since earning his MFA from the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia (1979), he has exhibited work in the US, Canada, South Africa, Australia and Europe. His work engages with issues around colonial history and contemporary experience. In addition to his practice, Heap of Birds is a curator and lecturer, and is Professor Emeritus in the Native American Studies Department at the University of Oklahoma. He was named USA Ford Fellow in 2012, Distinguished Alumni, University of Kansas, in 2014 and received honorary doctorates from Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston (2008), Emily Carr University of Art and Design (2017) and California Institute of the Arts, Valencia (2018). In 2020, Heap of Birds was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as a member of the Humanities and Arts class, with a specialty in Visual Arts.
Haida master carver Chief James Hart 7idansuu (Edenshaw) was born in 1952 in Old Massett and has been carving since 1979. In addition to carving monumental sculptures and totem poles, he is a skilled jeweller and printer and is considered a pioneer among Haida artists in the use of bronze. Hart’s carvings include the Bill Reid Memorial Pole for the Bill Reid Museum and the Three Watchmen with casts in BC and Ottawa. He supervised the construction of the Haida House in the Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of Civilization and restored an Haida pole for the Smithsonian Institute in New York City. In 1982, Hart completed a 30-foot pole for the UBC Museum of Anthropology, which was the first pole to be raised in the traditional style on the MOA grounds. In 1999, he carved a 55-foot memorial pole to honour his uncle and ancestors, which was also raised in traditional style. Hart was awarded the Order of British Columbia in 2003, and an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by the Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design in 2004.
Kayám̓ Richard Campbell comes from a long line of carvers, all of whom have influenced his style, and has been carving for over 40 years in modern contemporary and Coast Salish style. He works with various woods, using mainly yellow cedar for the plaques he carves. Campbell has worked as an archaeological field assistant with the Musqueam Indian Band for over 20 years. Both occupations help him to ensure his culture lives on for future generations to come.
As part of the events leading up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day at UBC, join the Belkin’s Public Programs staff for a Decolonization Tour to explore artworks by Indigenous artists at UBC, which is located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people.
Each tour is 90 minutes and 1.5-2 km of walking. Tours take place on:
Tours will continue through October with offerings on:
The Decolonization Tour highlights site-specific artworks and raises questions around issues of place, space and identity. Considering how these works address urgent social and political concerns, we will discuss ideas of settler colonialism, decolonization, reconciliation, protocol and the history of UBC’s Vancouver campus, which is located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people.
The tour includes work by:
This tour is 90 minutes and involves 1.5-2 km of walking on pavement with some inclines and approximately 50 stairs. Please wear comfortable shoes and bring an umbrella in case of rain.
Tours are free, but space is limited. To sign up for a spot, email belkin.tours@ubc.ca. Due to the high volume, please allow 3-4 days for us to reply.
We thank the Residential School History and Dialogue Centre and all the wonderful campus partners that have made this year’s Orange Shirt Day event possible.
For more information about outdoor art tours at the Belkin Art Gallery, visit Tours: Outdoor Art Collection.
Brent Sparrow Jr. (b. 1970) is an artist and carver who apprenticed with his mother, Coast Salish artist Susan Point, and with adopted Kwakwaka’wakw artist John Livingston since 2006. Sparrow studied welding at BCIT, receiving a provincial “B” Red Seal, as well as completing the first year of Steel Fabrication. Brent has gained experience working with Susan Point on the creation and installation of numerous public art projects, including pieces for the City of Vancouver, the City of Richmond, the Stanley Park Gateways, the Vancouver Convention Centre, the YVR Skytrain Station and Seattle Children’s Hospital. In addition to his many works at UBC, he has commissioned works for CBC and VANOC Killarney Community Centre.
Ellen Neel (1916-1966) was an artist and carver from Alert Bay on Vancouver Island and the granddaughter of Yakuglas, Charlie James, a Kwakwaka’wakw carver who produced the house posts in Stanley Park. Neel moved to Vancouver with her husband in 1943, where they opened Totem Art Studios and later a workshop at Ferguson Point in Stanley Park. Neel is known as the first woman totem pole carver and was instrumental in helping to revitalize the carving tradition in the Kwakwaka’wakw community. Her artistic legacy continues for generations through her impact on countless Northwest Coast artists, including her own grandson David A. Neel and Kwakwaka’wakw carver and activist Beau Dick (1955-2017).
Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds (b. 1954) is an internationally known artist and scholar of Cheyenne and Arapaho descent. Since earning his MFA from the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia (1979), he has exhibited work in the US, Canada, South Africa, Australia and Europe. His work engages with issues around colonial history and contemporary experience. In addition to his practice, Heap of Birds is a curator and lecturer, and is Professor Emeritus in the Native American Studies Department at the University of Oklahoma. He was named USA Ford Fellow in 2012, Distinguished Alumni, University of Kansas, in 2014 and received honorary doctorates from Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston (2008), Emily Carr University of Art and Design (2017) and California Institute of the Arts, Valencia (2018). In 2020, Heap of Birds was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as a member of the Humanities and Arts class, with a specialty in Visual Arts.
Haida master carver Chief James Hart 7idansuu (Edenshaw) was born in 1952 in Old Massett and has been carving since 1979. In addition to carving monumental sculptures and totem poles, he is a skilled jeweller and printer and is considered a pioneer among Haida artists in the use of bronze. Hart’s carvings include the Bill Reid Memorial Pole for the Bill Reid Museum and the Three Watchmen with casts in BC and Ottawa. He supervised the construction of the Haida House in the Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of Civilization and restored an Haida pole for the Smithsonian Institute in New York City. In 1982, Hart completed a 30-foot pole for the UBC Museum of Anthropology, which was the first pole to be raised in the traditional style on the MOA grounds. In 1999, he carved a 55-foot memorial pole to honour his uncle and ancestors, which was also raised in traditional style. Hart was awarded the Order of British Columbia in 2003, and an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by the Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design in 2004.
Kayám̓ Richard Campbell comes from a long line of carvers, all of whom have influenced his style, and has been carving for over 40 years in modern contemporary and Coast Salish style. He works with various woods, using mainly yellow cedar for the plaques he carves. Campbell has worked as an archaeological field assistant with the Musqueam Indian Band for over 20 years. Both occupations help him to ensure his culture lives on for future generations to come.