Gabriola Arts Council is hosting a resident artist who draws on his Snuneymuxw, Hupacasath and Penelakut heritage to tell stories through multiple mediums.
Eliot White-Hill will be artist-in-residence with the Kasahara Gabriola Trust from May 1 to June 26.
His work includes digital art, sculpture, painting, installation, performance, creative writing and curation and his unique voice is rooted in storytelling and traditional Coast Salish design.
“My art tells stories about myself, my cultures, my communities and our world views,” White-Hill said in a news release from the arts council. “I always work to maintain my uy shqwaluwun (to be of good mind), as I was taught by my late great-grandmother. It is at the core of teachings about making art in Coast Salish culture.”
The residence provides artists a retreat in an oceanfront home on Gabriola Island where they can have time and space to create new work, while connecting with the arts community on the 'Isle of the Arts.'
The program encourages artists to share their practice through workshops, talks and exhibitions.
The arts council said White-Hill is part of a new generation of Coast Salish artists revitalizing traditional art and celebrating stories and teaching passed through generations.
“I want to blanket our territory with our art so that when future generations of Snuneymuxw children grow up, they see themselves represented and they hear their stories being told,” White-Hill said.
At the end of his residency, he will present the work he created during his stay on the island.
