Art Thompson was born in 1948 in Whynac, an isolated reserve of the Ditidaht (Nuu-chah-nulth) located in the south-western region of the Pacific Coast on Vancouver Island. His father and grandfather were both carvers, producing totem poles, masks, and finely crafted canoes. Thompson began drawing at an early age. At twelve he awakened to his cultural heritage through his initiation into the Tloo-Kwalla, or Wolf Society. Thompson’s work was greatly influenced by fellow Nuu-chah-nulth artists, Joe David and Ron Hamilton. Thompson attended the Camosun College Visual Arts program from 1970 – 1972, and continued his fine arts education at Emily Carr College of Art and Design (now Emily Carr University) working with both two- and three-dimensional art forms. It was at Emily Carr that Thompson started producing silkscreen prints – the art form for which he perhaps received the most acclaim during his artistic career. Printmaker, carver, teacher, and mentor, Thompson’s work is featured in galleries and museums across Canada (including the Royal BC Museum, University of Victoria, and Canadian Museum of Civilization) and internationally (American Museum of Natural History, International Festival of Masks, Canadian High Commission in Singapore). In addition to his prominence as a leading visual artist and key figure in the revitalisation of traditional West Coast First Nations art, Thompson was respected for his knowledge and practice of traditional Nuu-chah-nulth songs, dances, and history. Thompson attended the Port Alberni Indian Residential School, and like many of his peers suffered abuse in the school. As a result of his experiences, Thompson acted as a powerful advocate seeking justice for those who were exploited and harmed in the Canadian residential school system, later in his adult life. Thompson passed away from cancer in 2003. ARTIST INFO: Obituary and condolences for Thompson on Turtle Island: http://www.turtleisland.org/culture/culture-athompson.htm (Accessed January 16, 2017); Times Colonist Obituary: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/timescolonist/obituary.aspx?n=arthur-th... (Accessed January 16, 2017); Alcheringa Gallery Retrospective, “Native artist left lasting legacy”, Times Colonist article by Robert Amos, February 20, 2016 http://www.timescolonist.com/life/islander/robert-amos-native-artist-lef... (Accessed January 16, 2017)
For information about Northwest coast canoes and paddles, visit the Simon Fraser University Bill Reid Centre website at: https://www.sfu.ca/brc/art_architecture/canoes.html. Robert Amos’s Times Colonist article “Native Artist Left Lasting Legacy”, February 20, 2016 (http://www.timescolonist.com/life/islander/robert-amos-native-artist-lef... Accessed December 20, 2016) discusses Thompson’s artistic career including his work as teacher, residential school survivor, and advocate in the context of a 2016 exhibition of his work at Victoria, BC’s Alcheringa Gallery. Amos credits the legal action Thompson took against his abusers from the Port Alberni Residential School as being a catalyst for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Resources related to the Canadian Residential School system and Truth and Reconciliation Commission include: Coast Salish Artist, Joe Black’s personal account of his experiences at the Port Alberni Residential School (http://www.joejack.com/attendingresidential.html Accessed December 20, 2016); CTV News Report, “Residential School Survivors Speak in Port Alberni, March 12, 2012 (https://youtu.be/sXPYWbLFn9I Accessed December 20, 2016); “In their Words: What Residential School Survivors Told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission” by Amy Minsky, Global News, June 2, 2015 (http://globalnews.ca/news/2031617/in-their-words-what-residential-school... Accessed December 20, 2016); The United Church of Canada’s “The Children Remembered” Residential School Archive Project (http://thechildrenremembered.ca/school-locations/alberni/ Accessed December 20, 2016); and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada website resource page (http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/index.php?p=905 Accessed December 20, 2016). DESCRIPTION: This cedar paddle echoes the traditional “Northern steering paddle” shape with a broad, squared-off blade tip. The blade and throat of the paddle is decorated with northwest coast formline shapes and lines using red and black paint. The paddle’s shaft remains natural wood (no visible painting or carving beyond the paddle’s basic form) and its grip (top of handle) is painted black.
