The First People - Silver Bracelet
The First People - Silver Bracelet
1 1/2" wide x 6" long
With oxidization.
This piece is part of the exhibition ‘Growing Together: Themes of Nurturing in Northwest Coast Silver Jewellery’ held at Lattimer Gallery between September 22 - October 6, 2023.
"This bracelet depicts Raven and Wolf transformation. It is titled The First People. In the time of the First ancestors, everything from cleansing our bodies to harvesting our food was taken with great care. Nurturing these teachings is what leads us to clearing the path for the next generations to follow."
-Kelly Robinson
Kelly Robinson
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.
