George Stokes

CULTURAL GROUP:
Coast Salish (Squamish)

BORN:
November, 1969

BIRTHPLACE:
Vancouver, BC

George Stokes began working as an artist in 1985 with encouragement from his uncle, Cody Mathias. In 1986, George was invited to help carve a totem pole with late Haida artist Bill Reid and established Haida carver Don Yeomans. This pole is now housed within Vancouver's Kitsilano Secondary School. In 2010, he graduated from the Northwest Coast Jewellery Arts program held at Vancouver's Native Education College. While he has spent most of his career as a wood carver - creating plaques, talking sticks, rattles, and masks - he is beginning to expand into metalwork and giftware. For example, George has started transferring his original designs to clothing.