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VANCOUVER – B.C. First Nations artists Dempsey
Bob and Robert Davidson have been named by Premier Gordon Campbell and Keith
Mitchell, chair of the BC Achievement Foundation, as recipients of the new
Aboriginal Art Lifetime Achievement Awards.
“Dempsey Bob and Robert Davidson are artists of enormous talent whose commitment to their art has had a profound impact upon First Nations culture,” said Campbell, director of the Foundation. “Through their interpretations of First Nations’ stories and traditions and their mentoring efforts in their communities they have provided the kind of cultural leadership that inspires all British Columbians.”
“It is a privilege for the Foundation to recognize Bob and Davidson with its inaugural lifetime achievement awards,” added Mitchell.
A master Tahltan-Tlingit carver for more than 30 years, Dempsey Bob’s prolific totem poles and sculptures are seen in galleries and in private, government and corporate collections around the world. Using alder, cedar and bronze, Dempsey’s work is inspired by history and reflects the richness of the Tahltan culture. Dempsey’s work is celebrated in many collections including the University of British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Museum of Ethnology in Japan.
Robert Davidson is known throughout the world as a master carver of totem poles and masks as well as a printmaker, painter and jeweler. Davidson learned the art of carving from his father and grandfather, and he has evolved into a leading figure in the renaissance of Haida art and culture. He remains committed to using cultural knowledge to celebrate the present as well as commemorate the past. Davidson has received the National Aboriginal Achievement Award, the Order of British Columbia and the Order of Canada.
The lifetime achievements of Dempsey Bob and Robert Davidson will be honoured in conjunction with the presentation of the BC Creative Achievement Awards for Aboriginal Art, a juried competition launched in 2006 to recognize the important role of First Nations art in British Columbia’s history and cultural identity. The event takes place on Tuesday, June 5, 2007 at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver. The presentations are expected to begin at 12:45pm
The British Columbia Achievement Foundation is an independent
foundation established and endowed by the Province. The Creative Achievement Award for Aboriginal Art is one of five
initiatives of the foundation. The others are the BC Community Achievement
Awards, recognizing those who have made a significant contribution to their
community; the BC Award for Canadian Non-Fiction, recognizing excellence in
literary non-fiction; the BC Creative Achievement Award for applied artists and
designers; and Time to Read: the BC Achievement Award for Early Literacy.
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contact: |
Press Secretary Office of the Premier 250 213-8218 |
BC Achievement Foundation 604 261-9777 |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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