Curtis Wilson, Kwakwaka’wakw Artist
Curtis was born, raised and lived in Campbell River. His family came from the four corners of the Kwakwaka’wakw territory. Mulidzas is the traditional name handed to Curtis Wilson during a family Potlatch held in 2001.
Curtis received a Bachelor of Arts degree in First Nations Studies from Malaspina University/College in 2002. He had been a part of the Laichwiltach Culture Group for many years and was very adamant about learning his culture and heritage. Curtis continued to teach the younger generations about the culture, songs and dances. Curtis was sketching and drawing in his teens, but never started learning how to carve until the late age of 18. He learned to carve at small a shed built by his grandfather, Sam Henderson Sr., under the instruction of many of his uncles and cousins, from whom he adopted many of his techniques and styles. In the course of his artistic career, Curtis taught art at schools and got involved in many projects at the same time. In 2017, he was invited to be Nanaimo Art Gallery to feature his art in a show.
One of Curtis’ life goals was to learn much about his culture and heritage, to expand his visions in art and also pass it on to the next generations.
Chase aimed to create a "spiritual connection" with those viewing his art, explaining, "I try to create a spiritual connection with the person viewing my work. It's not necessarily a religious thing, but I want to interpret my inner most emotions that live inside all of us. I'm compelled to express how I feel and present it in a bold manner. I think that makes for interesting art work…"
At the height of his successful career, Wilson died tragically from a sudden heart attack in October 2019.
