Passing on the torch

Stan Bevan & Nathan Wilson: Passing the torch

Amongst the hustle of this booming northern town, sits a school overlooking the valley where history can be found in its making.

At the Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art, located on the Coast Mountain College campus in Terrace and traditional Ts’ymsyan territory, First Nations artists of all ages come to learn traditional north coast art.

“We aren’t just educating ourselves, we’re educating the world,” says instructor and co-founder Stan Bevan, of Ts’ymsyan and Tahltan-Tlingit heritage.

“People are beginning to see who we are and not only through our past, but our present and future.”

Bevan co-founded the school in 2006 alongside famous artists Ken McNeil and Dempsey Bob. The Freda Diesing School, named after the Haida artist and carver, has since flourished in a direction beyond their imagination but as time tallies up quickly, they realize their legacy must continue without them — the torch must be passed on.

Enter Nathan Wilson and his wife Nakkita Trimble, and recently joined Stephanie Anderson, the next wave of instructors to lead the way. As former students and successful artists, Bevan says he is confident that they will propel their school to new heights.

“Northern artists are very strongly rooted... and Terrace is the hub for surrounding communities to come together and share their ideas, stories and art [so I wanted to be here]. We all lift each other up,” Wilson says.

Enrolling in the program in 2010, Wilson fully immersed himself into his art and went on to exhibit in an array of shows, a trailblazer in creating unconventional pieces. Trimble came through in 2013 after graduating with her Bachelor Fine Arts and became a force in rejuvenating the almost-lost Nisga’a tattooing practices.

When the talented duo came together, Terrace became home as they started a family. Their dedication and craftsmanship remained infallible, and the founders knew the two embodied what they were looking for and more. The art world rejoiced when they started teaching at Freda Diesing, marking a new chapter for the school.

“Nowadays, we need the arts more than ever. If an artist can make somebody just stop for a few minutes to admire an art piece or to reconnect with their heritage, that’s the ultimate goal,” he says.

“Identity is such a big part for people... dipping a paintbrush to create an image can have an incredible impact on a young person just trying to find direction in life and make their way home.”