CULTURAL GROUP:
Kwakwaka'wakw
BORN:
November 23, 1955 (d. 2017)
BIRTHPLACE:
Kingcome Inlet, BC
Beau's many works included masks, bowls, rattles, drums, original paintings, and limited edition prints. He began carving at a very early age, studying under his father, Benjamin, and his grandfather, James Dick. He worked with Tony and Henry Hunt, Bill Reid, Doug Cranmer, and Robert Davidson. His many important pieces are in the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Heard Museum in Phoenix, the Burke Museum in Seattle, and the BC Provincial Museum. Beau danced and performed at the Opening Ceremony of Expo 1986, and it was during this same year that he designed the Hands of Friendship logo for Lattimer Gallery. In May of 1998, his work was featured at the re-opening of Canada-House in London, England. In 2005, he was included in the highly successful exhibition Totems to Turquoise, which opened in New York and then came to Vancouver. In 2012, Beau received the Jack and Doris Shadbolt Foundation’s VIVA Award for Visual Arts. Between 2014 and 2016, Beau was the University of British Columbia's Artist in Residence. He was dedicated to learning about historical Kwakwaka'wakw and Northwest Coast artwork, and he used many older pieces to fuel his creative processes.
