Mitchell Morrison

Mitchell Morrison, Nisga'a Nation

Nisga’a Nation

Mitchell was born October 14th, 1950 in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada situated along the northern coast of the province. He is a member of the Nisga’a nation, a group which inhabits the coast of the Nass River , slightly north of his place of birth. Mitchell takes the Wolf and the Bear as his family crest symbols and in the last two years (1998) has inherited Chief status, being Chief Delax Gim Smax.

Mitchell is a multi-talented artist who uses wood, leather, ivory, silver and gold as his media. He began making Northwest Coast Native art in 1979 under the guidance of Nisga’a artist, Norman Tait. Since then he has studied with prominent artist, Russell Smith and reveals that he was greatly influenced by his grandfather, Titus Campbell.

Mitchell is one of the few artists who maintains a traditional Nisga’a style of carving in all his pieces. The legends and stories of his family heritage are prevalent in his work and remain an important subject matter that he feels compelled to portray. Each piece that Mitchell creates reveals a great deal of depth, tradition, and precision that separates him from other artists.