A new exhibit of Christian White’s career works reflects the collaborative power of his Haida community

The Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art opened a new, year-long exhibit this week featuring the work of master Haida artist Kihl ‘Yahda, Christian White. 

A carver and full-time artist since his teens, Christian White’s work over his 50-year career isn’t confined to one medium. White’s range is on full display in his sculptures, masks, boxes, jewelry, and drawings throughout the exhibit. It’s an exhibit not only of White’s work, but also a display of his family’s and community’s artistry and culture.

• Over 300 people arrived in downtown Vancouver for a jam-packed Saturday opening, including White’s family and other Haida community members who live in the city or made the trip down from Haida Gwaii, according to exhibit co-curator Amelia Rae.

Since the opening, Rase said people who attended have been sharing what an amazing day it was. “Just the sense of community and power that was in the room, and just a lot of joy, which is sometimes hard to find in these colder months,” Rae reflected. 

The turnout reflected White’s stature and “the impact he’s made in our Haida world,” Rae, who is White’s niece, told Vancity Lookout. “His family have been major forces in keeping the Haida culture, art and language alive,” according to exhibit materials.

One very personal aspect of the exhibit is a recreation of White’s home desk, where he does a lot of his carving. Including this in the exhibit is a striking choice that gives visitors a closer sense of place and process when viewing the finished works in a gallery setting 

• The recreated desk, which features tools, reference materials, maps, and photos of White’s family is tidier than the real thing Rae said. 

White is also a founding member of the Haida Repatriation Committee, who work to return the remains of their ancestors and other prized cultural materials held by museums around the world. The group has facilitated the return of 460 Haida ancestors. 

Since 1999, White has been working to revive the art of bentwood box making – to show the highest respect to the ancestors in a Haida way and rebury them with respect. White, his apprentices, and volunteer artists and youths, have collaborated to make about 100 of these bentwood boxes. 

• “We believe once they are returned to their homeland of Haida Gwaii and are laid to rest with honour, the souls can rest and our communities may heal a bit more,” according to the group’s website.

Among the many highlights of the exhibit is an argillite sculpture by White titled Raven Dancer, on loan to the exhibit from a private collector. White comes from a raven clan on Haida Gwaii, and ravens are a common theme in his work.  

White is well-known for his argillite carvings, made from a unique black type of slate that is only found on Haida Gwaii. “Only Haida people can carve it or handle [the stone] in a raw form. So it can't be sold to anyone who isn’t of Haida descent, in a raw form, only until after it's carved,” Rae explained. 

• The federal government’s ban on the Potlatch ceremony, between 1885 and 1951 – which is now recognized as part of Canada’s attempted cultural genocide against Indigenous peoples – meant Haida people weren’t allowed to make things like masks and bentwood boxes. 

“A lot of our artists turned to argillite because it was acceptable within a Western market. It became a source of survival, quite literally, because our artists were able to sell it on a commercial market and make a living for themselves,” Rae shared. 

The exhibit is deeply collaborative, reflecting how much White works together with his apprentices in the creative process. 

“He'll design something and they'll paint it, or he'll start a carving and they'll finish it. And that's very much how it used to be a couple 100 years ago, when we were apprenticing with our uncles or our aunties,” Rae shared. 

• “That's our style of teaching. You learn by doing, you are very hands on. Instead of just watching, you're doing it. You see that in a lot of his work, it’s all collaborations with his apprentices,” Rae said.  

Nine of White’s apprentices are featured throughout the exhibit, in addition to solo and collaborative pieces by a number of his family members. 

White’s siblings are all artists in their own right. The exhibit includes several pieces of jewelry from his brothers and other family members, and a robe made by White and his three sisters for his niece. 

“Both of his brothers are carvers, and all of his sisters are weavers and regalia makers. He felt it was so important to uplift everyone. He just wanted everyone to be a part of it, in some way,” Rae said. 

Showing at Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art at 639 Hornby Street, which is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 5pm. Adult tickets are $13, with discounts for Indigenous people, seniors, students, youth and families.

• You’ve got plenty of time to see it, as the exhibit will be on until early 2026.