Bill Reid Gallery: Exhibition. Kihl ‘Yahda Christian White: Master Haida Artist

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Cost: Free

On View: February 1, 2025 – February 1, 2026.
Guest curated by Sdahl Ḵ'awaas, Lucy Bell, also of the Haida Nation, the exhibition features artworks that span the entirety of Christian’s 50-year career, as well as collaborative works from several of his apprentices.
Christian White is of the Yahgulaanas Haida Raven Clan. Influenced by his father Chief Edenshaw, Christian and his family have been major forces in keeping the Haida culture, art and language alive. Early highlights of his career include the creation of a 35-foot pole with his father, and the carving of a sculpture titled Raven Dancer, which was purchased by the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, BC, when he was only 22 years old and the recent Tluuwée Kwiiyaas, a 52-foot canoe.
He is best known for his intricate argillite carvings, inlay work and monumental works. Christian also creates wood-carved masks and boxes, gold and silver jewelry, and steamed cedar canoes. He began carving argillite at fourteen and has been working as a full-time artist since the age of seventeen. In 2005, Christian constructed a traditional longhouse in his home village of Old Massett which is the home of Tluu Xaada Naay Society and dance group.
Christian is a founding member of the Old Massett Repatriation Committee. He has travelled to help bring home over 500 Haida Ancestors and has engaged with some of the 12,000 Haida Belongings held in museums worldwide, bringing inspiration and knowledge back to his community.
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