ARTIST FEATURE

JOE R. WILSON Namgis Artist

IT’S ABOUT THE JOURNEY, NOT THE DESTINATION

From Alert Bay, born and raised, Wilson stayed in his

home town and chose to build a home there and his life around his artistry. I took a moment to ask Wilson why Alert Bay is such a hub for the Kwakwaka’wakw Art. Wilson responded that back at the turn of the century, the Cannery drew all the artists for regular work, everything sprouted from there. Wilson added that there are many styles that have developed from the Artists from Alert Bay and two very distinguished styles from Fort Rupert, Sewid and Hunt.

Wilson has worked with almost everyone in Yalis, known in English as Alert Bay, and was a part of the Community Shop prior to it being torn down. “It was a place for artists to work and share. It was open to everyone but you needed to be committed to make progress. It was a communal style of learning,” Wilson shares. It was a birthday present from Wilson’s eldest sister, Deb Hanuse, that allowed him to learn form line. Hanuse paid for him to do a form line course under Doug Cramner. Cramner was very strict and like most young artists, Wilson didn’t appreciate it then; he certainly embraces it now. Wilson grew as an Artist through his teen years but form line truly drew him into the artist he is today. Wilson has worked in flat design and sculpture as well, and continues to grow with new mediums all the time.

At 19, Wilson started working with Ned Matilpi and was under him for approximately a year; he was able to work with so many mentors in the communal shop – the list is long – Stephen Bruce, Wayne Alfred, Bruce Alfred, Beau Dick, to name a few. “It was nice as Beau and Doug really brought our traditional art back to life,” Wilson notes. “42 years now I’ve been an Artist and I’m still learning. Passing the culture and

art knowledge down to the youth was and is so important. It isn’t really to our sons per se, it is passed down by talent or drive versus family. There is a true dedication to art; the average amount of time an artist invests in a piece is never really recovered. It takes two weeks, at least, to complete a hand carved mask. At a price point of $2500, it doesn’t even start to cover the dedication of time or supplies.” Wilson is currently apprenticing his son, Joe Jr. in all forms.

Wilson continues to explain: “the dedication to our art forms is part of saving the culture; there is a big difference between cultural pieces and market pieces. There are very specific details I won’t place on a piece I’m selling versus when I’m working on a cultural piece for Big House. Understanding traditional versus contemporary is that cultural is used in the Big House, mostly for gifting. Contemporary is different and mostly used when we are creating pieces to sell to tourists. Jewellery is really bling. It isn’t truly traditional per se. In the Big House, and outside of that realm, jewellery is beautiful but not really part of dowries or gifting of our Kwakwaka’wakw culture.” Wilson started working with metal five years ago.

Jewellery was a unique opportunity to learn a new medium for Wilson. With wood carving, Wilson was always successful and very busy. “It was too much,” he shares with gratitude. “I needed a break.” Wilson decided to see what was what and went fish farming as part of this break; he wanted to learn for himself how much impact there truly was in fish farming. Then he went road building, driving off-road trucks; he was just as busy as before and the burnout was, again, at his heels. He decided to return home to Alert Bay from Ft. McMurray. “Now what, I thought,” Wilson remembers. “Work with wood again or what am I going to do?” A cousin suggested he try a new medium, jewellery. Wilson is self taught in forming jewellery; he sat down at the bench after acquiring all the tools and simply just started. “It is the same art forms that I’ve been practicing for 43 years but simply using a new medium,” Wilson notes as he truly carves, each piece, using his style. He loves exploring new mediums within the traditional art form. “I’m always open to new ideas; there is only so much to do as a self-taught Jewellery Artist but I want to keep learning… next up is digital design work!” he shares. “It’s about the journey, not the destination for me.” Wilson expresses his thoughts on mastering art forms, saying “some established Artists attach their name as a Master, that’s not for me as I believe the journey as an Artist is on-going and we are always learning! That’s no disregard for anyone who carries this title, but in my life, I will continue to learn and will always add to my art forms.”

When Wilson is asked what is the next phase for him as an Artist, he speaks of the now and the past. “I’m 55 now… famous and infamous,” he laughs. “I’m enjoying the journey; I am in control of my destiny and in control of what I produce.” He’s ready to move to next level pieces utilizing wood and metal mediums. “I definitely have new projects on the horizon and am finding and fixing past work and older pieces, adding to them by studying older Artists’ forms. I’m enjoying playing with my teachers’ ideas through versions of their work with their style lines.” Wilson loves the high pace; he admits he’s a workaholic and he is driven to continue being this way and adds “I will be working, on art, till the day I die.” Wilson is very grateful he can make a living through his art and loves that he can work on art every day.

Connect with Joe at Facebook @joerwilsonnamgisartist

Keep an eye out for a new website coming!

All photos © Joe R. Wilson

BEING HUMAN

BENEATH IT ALL TODAY

JAMES L. ANDERSON

Beneath it all today, you and I carry something

grand. Something that our lost, forgotten magnificent primitive ancestors raged through ages and ages of murderous, savage, impossible horror now beyond belief so that we can breathe today… alive. It was just a dream, and is still today. The dream of being Human on this earth.

You and I still carry that dream, and the challenge.

Our children. And our children’s children…and their children’s children will not breathe free and Human on this earth in the future unless you and I—driven to our knees in mortal deadly, paralyzing terror fear in this horror alien world today—unless we can somehow find the faith and the impossible will to come together and keep that Human Dream alive today. This is the age more than any other time, ever, when the Dream…and living “Human” can be lost… forever.

When we look into the eyes of our children, or our grandchildren the truth lies there.

We are their only hope. Somehow we must stand together as one and gather the courage and the unity to do the impossible and find the way through to keep our Human Dream alive, once again. Against all odds.

In my lifetime for over the last half century I have been seeking to chart and awaken us to a hidden outrageous evolution towards a better world, now fulminating beneath the surface in the potential lurking in us—as we all try to live lives “Being Human” in this raucous world today. It is becoming starkly clear to all of us in these dark days of peril that somehow evolving into a metamorphic higher consciousness where we can finally truly care for one another and carry the Human Dream into the future together is the only way to survive.

And in the last few storming years you and I have been brought to our knees lost and desperate… masked, social distanced and hideously captured in merciless, inescapable solitary confinement that none of us saw coming. It may take years, decades and even centuries to clearly comprehend what it all is really about. But we do not have that much time.

What really is at stake here is that “Being Human” is under stealthy and catastrophic threat in this seemingly hopeless, and ever more inhuman world today. You and I are being secretly threatened with an Extermination Level event where what will end is that living HUMAN lives will become extinct. This is what all this pandemic madness is really all about. We need to comprehend what is at stake here. What we all could lose. Forever.

We must now comprehend how precious, rare and simply irreplaceable in all Universe we are. You and I must now realize what this wonderful mystery of living lives “Being Human” is. You and I must see it clearly.

It cannot be surrendered and given away no matter the cost. All Human life, and our magnificent potential now awaiting us all in the future deserve the chance to see the light and breathe Human on this Earth long and long after we are gone. What does it mean to be HUMAN?

First of all, it is simply a Dream. And it was whispered into us when we were given the Gift of Life itself, though we cannot yet know and understand this. To be “born” in this universe and emerge in convergence from the diffuse, indiscrete wonder of eternity and ALL by

taking shape and Human form in this Universe we were branded, blessed and baptized with the secret design, destiny and meaning of all Universe and Creation itself, though none of us now comprehend what it all means… or Why we have been given the gift of Life, still.

Try to understand what was whispered into us then, when you and I were born. Beyond our primitive Awareness now… Universe is the Womb and Birthing place of an as yet Unborn perfect, total, perfect UNION… that does not yet exist.

This is where the surging energy, periodicity, rhythm and cyclical eternal flowing harmony of this natural Universe comes from. It is simply the enduring, indestructible attraction towards that sacred, perfect Unity corresponded by the predictable eternal retreat necessary because UNION cannot yet be born in this expectant Universe. And it will repeat, repeat and repeat again in significant, predictable identity until glorious Unity is finally birthed. This is why Universe flows, whirls, throbs and shines. It is why we were born. And why we Live, always on the gasp.

For all our children’s children we have to awaken to see who we really are and what it all means. Human. We are Part of the Universal CONTINUUM that is evolving towards a yet unborn Total Union woven from all Creation. Against all odds.

It is why at heart center we are all Spiritual Beings. Why we all seek communion, harmony and unity somehow, someway all of our lives. Why we rage outward to Know, communicate and discover that genesis and center yet to come, always. Why from that moment we were BORN we yearn to find home…to discover at last where we somehow naturally belong, together as ONE.

Why in our imperfect ways we try to Love one another beyond anything we have ever known, somehow creating what has never been before.

Living, breathing in that outrageous quest is how and why we can create, give birth and reproduce, dreaming towards that miracle of UNION. And we must finally comprehend why we seek, care and rage ever outward… to “Be Human”. It is time now to understand.

In this monstrous world today, all this is desperately threatened with extinction.

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