Sheldon Skillie is an exceptional Kaigani Haida/Oglala Lakota artist who traverses our ideas of what traditional Northwest Coast art looks like. He explores what it could be, while maintaining its recognizability in a way that engages a wide range of people.

He's passionate about art being accessible to all and has always wanted to "make art that didn't require a certain explanation — something you can enjoy and feel while still being a gateway to the greater Northwest Coast environment." 

“I’m not making traditional art. I’m exploring the aesthetic of 'formline,' looking for different movements, placements, abstractions. I’ve always had a tendency to visualize sounds and music, and to find endless new possibilities in the artistic traditions of the Northwest Coast.

My works may contain emotional responses, questions of intersectionality, notes in the margins, musical reflections, reinterpreted mythologies, art for art’s sake, experiments in fusion, retro references, homage, critique, and proclamations of identity.”

Many of Sheldon's works are associated with poems or short quips as source inspiration, but he wants the viewer to define and absorb their own meanings in the pieces they observe. 

We hope you enjoy this exhibition, as we surely do.