Born in Victoria, BC in 1920, Bill Reid was brought up in a cross cultural home with a German/Scottish-American father (William) and an Anglican-educated Haida mother (Sophie). In his early life Reid was unaware of his Haida ancestry until his teenage years, though was influenced by the Haida designs on jewelry worn by his maternal aunts. At 23 Reid visited Skidegate, his mother’s home-village, and was introduced to family members familiar with Haida traditions. Reid worked as radio announcer in BC, Western Canada, and then for the CBC. During this time he studied jewelry making in Toronto and went on to work with materials including gold, silver, platinum, copper, ivory and wood. Influenced by the work of Charles Edenshaw, Reid studied works of Haida art through publications and museum collections, and existing works in the Haida Gwaii community (and beyond), developing his own body of work. In addition to his role as artist, Reid was a writer, poet, and story-teller who used his fame to champion Haida land claims. He is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. ARTIST INFO: Bill Reid Foundation: http://www.billreidfoundation.ca/index.htm (Accessed January 11, 2017); Bill Reid Gallery: http://www.billreidgallery.ca/ (Accessed January 11, 2017); Bill Reid Virtual Museum curated by Dr. Martine Reid: http://theravenscall.ca/en (Accessed March 13, 2017)
