Two North Shore artists thought outside the box when crafting pieces to donate for a charity auction in Vancouver Saturday evening.
The Bentwood Box Charity Auction features 20 unique bentwood boxes created by Indigenous artists across B.C., with all proceeds collected supporting the Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA).
Sammy Dawson is one of the artists who donated a box for the auction. Dawson is a Kwakwaka’wakw artist known for carving miniature and ceremonial masks, drums and bentwood boxes.
“Crane,” the name of his piece of art, came from the inspiration of a mask carved by Mungo Martin at the Denver Art Museum. He always wanted to recreate the design and saw this as the opportunity.
“It’s always a good feeling to help and donate when you can,” Dawson said.
This marks the first bentwood box Dawson has donated to the charity event. The artist has been carving since he was 12, and by 22 he had moved up to mask carving. Dawson took his skills to the test when crafting the box – one day was spent designing and another day and a half carving.
He moved from Nanaimo to North Vancouver in the early 2000s to have more work opportunities, as art galleries were shrinking.
Aaron Nelson-Moody is the other North Shore artist who donated a box for the charity.
From the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), the rich colour of his work “U’s the Best!” is made from pierced copper sheets with vitreous enamel baked onto them, according to the Lattimer Gallery’s website.
Nelson-Moody has been sharing his art since 1998. The carver and jeweller has work showcased across Canada, Scotland and Japan. His most recent piece reflects humour and creativity that thrives in Indigenous art communities.
“The pieces created for this event capture the amazing humour, sarcasm and creativity that fill any studio with Indigenous artists and craftspeople,” Nelson-Moody said in a press release.
The “U” shape represents the UNYA logo, and he hopes the piece lands in the association’s new building one day.
“U’s the Best!” marks Nelson-Moody’s fifth donation to the charity since it launched in 2010.
Bentwood boxes are unique to Northwest Coast First Nations peoples in B.C., often used for symbolic and practical purposes. They can be used for burial boxes for ancestors, clothing and household item storage, transporting goods and cooking, according to the gallery’s website.
Lattimer Gallery owner Peter Lattimer is happy to see how far the auction has come.
“It started as something for charity to give money to some Indigenous folks in need,” Lattimer said. “It’s really turned into a opportunity for artists to do something for themselves that happens to do something for a lot of other people.”
The charity has been giving to UNYA since 2011, and CEO Cheryl Robinson is grateful for the donation over the years.
Proceeds from the auction directly benefit UNYA’s Indigenous Youth Centre of Excellence, a facility that helps support the next generation of Indigenous leaders. The auction also supports the association’s Overly Creative Minds program, empowering Indigenous youth to explore artistic talents, build cultural pride and develop leadership skills.
“When we empower Indigenous youth, the opportunities are endless. We hope that UNYA creates that space where youth feel like they’re empowered here, and that they can take those next steps in their dreams,” Robinson said.
Robinson is from the St’át’imc and Nisga’a First Nations. She's spent her whole life in the urban area of Metro Vancouver, so continuing this work is vital to her.
“That’s really important to me to be able to provide a safe space for youth to explore these things,” she said.
Bentwood Box Charity Event
When: Saturday, Dec. 7, from 4 to 6 p.m. Live auction starts at 5 p.m.
Where: Museum of Vancouver, 1100 Chestnut St.
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative. [email protected]
