CULTURAL GROUP:
Nuxalk/Nuu-chah-nulth

BORN:
May 18, 1981

BIRTHPLACE:
Nanaimo, BC

Kelly Robinson learned Nuxalk design and conventions from Nuxalk artist Alvin Mack. He began painting in 1997, and familiarized himself with Northwest Coast aesthetics. While Kelly has made a name for himself with his carving and jewellery, he has started to branch out and apply his designs to other media. For example, he has created several bentwood boxes for Lattimer Gallery. Kelly also graduated from the Northwest Coast Jewellery Arts program at Vancouver's Native Education College in March of 2010. Immediately following this, he apprenticed under Haida jeweler, James McGuire. In 2012, Kelly graduated from the Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art. He continued his studies under a mentorship program with Tim Paul, during which time Kelly enlightened himself with Nuu-chah-nulth stories and perfected his mask-making abilities in the Nuu-chah-nulth style. In 2019, Kelly was awarded the YVR Art Foundation Mid-Career Artist Scholarship for his contributions to Indigenous art in BC. In 2020, he won the BC Achievement Fulmer Award in First Nations Art. Many of his pieces display traditional Nuxalk design with a modern twist, such as reversing positive and negative space in places.