Susan Point RCA

Coast Salish (Musqueam) Nation

Susan Point is a Musqueam First Nations artist.  She was born in 1952 and lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Susan artistic career began in 1981 and she immersed herself in the study of traditional Coast Salish art, and emerged with a language of design, both authentic yet vibrantly contemporary.

As well as practicing traditional motifs, Susan also expresses her own personal style.  Like many First Nations artists, she uses the meaning found in traditional art to create innovative work in a wide range of mediums. Susan initially began producing fine art in precious metals, serigraphs and acrylic paintings; however, she is now producing large scale public art in mediums which include glass, wood, stainless steel and concrete.  Many of Susan’s works can currently be found in private and corporate collections in over twenty countries around the world.

From the Artist: “Coast Salish art is relatively unknown to most people today as it was an almost lost art form after European contact — the reason being is that Salish lands were the first to be settled by the Europeans which adversely affected my peoples’ traditional life-style.

Today, much of the native art associated with the Pacific Northwest Coast is from principle tribes of northern British Columbia.  Because of this, over the years, I spent a great deal of my time, as a Coast Salish artist, trying to revive traditional Coast Salish art in an attempt to educate the public to the fact that there was, and still is, another art form indigenous to the central Pacific Northwest Coast.

Although most of my earlier work is very traditional, today I am experimenting with contemporary mediums and themes; however, I still incorporate my ancestral design elements into my work to conditioning as well as social and economic conditions.

In creating my art, I feel a need to continually express my cultural background and beliefs yet, at the same time, my work continues to evolve with changes within and outside of my community.”

Awards:

2007     British Columbia Creative Achievement Award for First Nations’ Art

2016     British Columbia Lifetime Creative Achievement Award

Selected Group Exhibitions:

2011     Coast Salish Masterworks: Connecting the Past to the Present, Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery, Vancouver, B.C.