Kwakwaka’wakw Nation

Kwakwaka’wakw artist Kevin Cranmer was born in Alert Bay, British Columbia, but has lived all but four years of his life in Victoria. His father, Danny, is from the ‘Namgis Nation, while his mother, Lily, is from the Mamlilikala Nation. These are just two of the many Nations of the Kwakwaka’wakw peoples. Cranmer’s work often speaks to his diverse coastal background as he can trace his ancestry to the many Nations of Kwakwaka’wakw people as well the Tlingit of Alaska.

As the nephew of Doug Cranmer, the renowned Kwak’waka’wakw artist and Namgis chief, Kevin has been immersed in the world of art from a very young age. His formal instruction came under the tutelage of his cousin, George Hunt Jr. He later worked with artists Tony Hunt Sr., Tony Hunt Jr., and Calvin Hunt. Kevin’s introduction to larger monumental sculpture began when he first started to work alongside renowned Nuu-chah-nulth artist, Tim Paul, in Thunderbird Park at the Royal British Columbia Museum. Thus, his large-scale works include several large co-operative projects: a 40 foot pole which stands in Stanley Park, Vancouver; a 36 foot pole carved for the closing ceremonies at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand and an elaborately carved and painted Chief’s seat for the newly rebuilt Big House in Alert Bay.

Kevin Cranmer is an active participant in the continuation of his cultural heritage through the arts. He is a respected member of his community and is an initiated Hamatsa member, one of the most sacred of the complex secret dance societies of the Kwakwaka’wakw. His artistic works not only exhibit and share unique Kwakwaka’wakw formal traditions but also preserve those traditions for future generations. Kevin Cranmer continues to create pieces for family and for use in ceremony.

Accolades:
2017     British Columbia Creative Achievement Award for First Nations’ Art

Exhibitions:

2014     Winter Solstice: Celebrating the Coming of Light, an online group exhibition at Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery, Vancouver, B.C., November

2012     Cranmer + Gray, Duel Artist exhibition at Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery. Vancouver, BC.

2007     Coastal Legacy, Group exhibition at Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery. Vancouver, BC.

2006     Transcendence: a decade in perspective, Group exhibition at Coastal Peoples Fine Arts
Gallery. Vancouver, BC.

2005     Where the Spirits Gather, Group exhibition at Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery. Vancouver, BC.

2005     Totems to Turquoise: Native North American Jewelry Arts of the Northwest and Southwest, Group Exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History. New York, USA.

2004     Box of Treasures, Group exhibition at Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery. Vancouver, BC.