Vancouver, BC: The BC Achievement Foundation has announced this year’s recipients of the Fulmer Award in First Nations Art. Presented annually, the program celebrates First Nations artistic traditions while creating a platform for community engagement, mentorship, and storytelling.
“All of us at BC Achievement Foundation are delighted to recognize the four 2022 recipients of the Fulmer Award in First Nations Art. Their work ranges widely, inspiring us with new visions while building on deep traditions,” said Anne Giardini, OC, OBC, KC, Chair of the BC Achievement Foundation. “This year’s awardees join almost 90 artists from the Award’s past 16 years. Fulmer Award alumni show us this year and every year that British Columbia is a place where artistic innovation and creativity are second to none anywhere in the world.”
The Fulmer Award honours First Nations artists in BC who have demonstrated a commitment to their practice, accumulated a body of work, and are recognized in their communities for their craft. The Award is presented by BC Achievement, an independent foundation that honours excellence and inspires achievement throughout the province.
The 2022 recipients, chosen by an independent jury, are:
Jamie Gentry – Kwakwaka’wakw, Sooke – Crabtree McLennan Emerging Artist
Latham Mack – Nuxalk, Kamloops
Qwul’thilum Dylan Thomas – Lyackson First Nation, Victoria
Reg Davidson – Haida, Masset – Award of Distinction for Lifetime Achievement
The jury was comprised of Nathan Wilson, Haisla and 2020 recipient; Shawn Hunt, Heiltsuk and 2011 recipient; Xémontélót Carrielynn Victor, Cheam First Nation and 2018 recipient. Connie Watts, Associate Director, Aboriginal Programs, Emily Carr University of Art + Design and artist of Nuu-chah-nulth, Gitxsan and Kwakwaka’wakw ancestry and Brenda Crabtree, Director, Aboriginal Programs, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, a member of the Spuzzum Band with both Nlaka’pamux and Sto:lo ancestry, served as advisors.
BC Achievement is an independent foundation established in 2003 that celebrates the spirit of excellence in our province and serves to honour the best of British Columbia. In addition to the Fulmer Award in First Nations Art, the organization presents several established programs, including the Indigenous Business Award and the Carter Wosk Award in Applied Art + Design. By recognizing the accomplishments of our province’s entrepreneurs, artists, community leaders, youth and volunteers, BC Achievement’s award programs pay tribute to exceptional people, doing exceptional work, while carving a path forward for others to follow.
This year’s celebration of the 2022 Fulmer Award in First Nations Art recipients includes a series of short films showcasing each awardee’s artistic accomplishments which will be premiered at an award ceremony next month. Each recipient will receive a certificate and medallion in honour of their achievements. They will also be recognized through an online campaign with the hashtag #shinethelightbc.
BC Achievement is proud to present a combined exhibition showcasing the 2022 award recipients for both the Fulmer Award in First Nations Art and the Carter Wosk Award in Applied Art + Design taking place at The Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre in Vancouver from Monday, November 14 to Friday, November 18 which is free and open to the public.
Interviews with representations of the BC Achievement Foundation and award recipients are available upon request. Awardee bios and high-resolution images are available here.
For more information about the BC Achievement Foundation and the Fulmer Award in First Nations Art program, please visit www.bcachievement.com.
The Fulmer Award in First Nations Art is made possible through the generous support of the Vancouver-based Fulmer Foundation. The BC Achievement Foundation is also grateful to community partners BC Ferries, Crafted Vancouver, Denbigh Fine Art Services, and The Roundhouse each of which play a key role in elevating change in their support of the Fulmer Award program.
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About BC Achievement:
BC Achievement is an independent foundation established in 2003 that celebrates the spirit of excellence in our province and serves to honour the best of British Columbia. By recognizing the accomplishments of our province’s entrepreneurs, artists, community leaders, youth and volunteers, its award programs pay tribute to exceptional people, doing exceptional work, while carving a path forward for others to follow. www.bcachievement.com
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Gemma Bishop
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2022 Fulmer Awardees – Backgrounders
Jamie Gentry, Sooke
Kwakwaka’wakw
Crabtree McLennan Emerging Artist
Kwakwaka’wakw artist, Jamie Gentry grew up immersed in culture and surrounded by talented artists. From a young age she was drawn to working with her hands, whether it was sewing, beading or weaving. For the last eight years, Jamie has been making custom moccasins for clients – each pair is cut, beaded, sewn and carved by hand. Her goal is to make meaningful connections through moccasin making, contributing a purposeful product to the world, building connections and sharing culture. Her belief is that by making a connection with the maker and the product, we are more likely to hold that product closer to us, and it is less likely for that product to end up in a landfill. Jamie’s focus is on style, comfort and durability with an emphasis on sustainability.
Latham Mack, Kamloops
Nuxalk
Latham Mack has been practicing his Nuxalk nation’s art since he a was a child. Growing up in Bella Coola surrounded by artistic family members and attending Acwsalcta School exposed him to culture and art at a very young age. As a youth artist he would sell his painted plaques to travellers waiting at the BC Ferries terminal. He learned carving from his late grandfather, hereditary chief Lawrence Mack, and by grade 10 he helped carve a 20-foot totem pole with Tony Speers. At Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art, Latham was mentored by world-renowned artists Stan Bevan, Ken McNeil and Dempsey Bob. Latham was apprenticed under Dempsey Bob for five years following graduation. Now, as an established artist, Latham’s works are found in collections around the world, from UBC’s Museum of Anthropology to the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle, Washington and many private collections in-between. As a Nuxalk artist Latham has stayed faithful to the traditional forms, bending them to form his own contemporary style.
Qwul’thilum Dylan Thomas, Victoria
Lyackson First Nation
Born in Victoria, Qwul’thilum Dylan Thomas is a Coast Salish artist and member of the Lyackson First Nation of Valdes Island, through his grandfather, Clifford Thomas. Although Dylan grew up in the urban setting of Victoria, he was introduced to Coast Salish art at a young age which ignited a lifelong passion for the art form – and, eventually, led him to seek guidance from established artists. Dylan received training in jewellery techniques from the late Seletze (Delmar Johnnie) and studied under Rande Cook in various mediums of Northwest Coast art. Over the past four years, Dylan has shifted his focus towards wood and stone carving and is now mainly focused on exploring Coast Salish sculpture. In 2019, Dylan was selected by the City of Victoria as the Indigenous Artist in Residence where he aimed to “create work that meaningfully honours the local Indigenous people – past, present, and future”.
Reg Davidson, Masset
Haida
Award of Distinction for Lifetime Achievement
Reg Davidson is a master Haida Artist recognized for his numerous and significant contributions to protecting and advancing Haida culture. He is known for producing significant traditional ceremonial objects such as masks, bentwood drums and dance regalia. Reg, an accomplished dancer, has mentored and taught two generations of Haida children the importance of Haida language and traditional song and dance. As an avid fisherman, he has provided his elders with food while participating in ecological protection projects that help safeguard the abundance of sea life in Haida Gwaii.
Reg’s carvings have been commissioned locally and internationally, and many can be viewed right in BC, including a large sculpture grouping of the Blind Halibut Fisherman at Vancouver International Airport.
Over many decades of committed artistry, Reg at his studio, has trained, taught and employed many artists who live in and off Haida Gwaii. With no art schools in Haida Gwaii, Reg has become a necessary agent of artistic education for younger local artists. Reg’s most recent project is a memorial pole in dedication to the life of his nephew Ben Davidson.