Richard Hunt

Richard Hunt is a renowned Kwakwaka'wakw artist born in 1951 in Alert Bay, British Columbia. He comes from a family of internationally acclaimed artists, including father Henry Hunt and grandfather Mungo Martin. Richard began carving with his father at the age of thirteen. The father-son duo would go on to carve together at the Royal British Columbia Museum from 1973 until 1974, at which point Richard assumed the duties of chief carver in the museum's Thunderbird Park Carving Program. He would hold this position until 1986, at which point he resigned to start anew as a freelance artist. In 1991, Richard became the first Indigenous artist to receive the Order of British Columbia, "in recognition of serving with the greatest distinction and excellence in a field of endeavour benefiting the people of the Province of British Columbia and elsewhere." In 1994, he receieved the Order of Canada. He has since received numerous other accolades, including an honorary doctorate from the University of Victoria and membership to the Royal Academy of the Arts. Richard Hunt's traditional name is highly appropriate, considering his accomplishments: Gwe-la-yo-gwe-la-gya-lis means "a man that travels and wherever he goes, he potlatches." Through his art, Richard Hunt has indeed given much to the world.