
SPECIAL EDITION- Haida Art: The Undisputed Apex of Northwest Coast Indigenous Excellence
Born on the misty islands of Haida Gwaii, this is the tradition every other Northwest Coast art form is measured against.
A weekly look and visual essay of one Northwest Coast artist
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Born on the misty islands of Haida Gwaii, this is the tradition every other Northwest Coast art form is measured against.

From an apprenticeship under his uncle, master carver Dempsey Bob, to a totem representing Canada at Expo '92 - the carving that put him on the map

Larry Rosso spent four decades bridging Carrier tradition and Kwakwaka'wakw and Haida formline - and left work in collections most artists only dream of

His skills - moving between two art traditions isn't just skillful. It's close to breathtaking.

### Discipline, patience, and a year spent learning from a master before he ever called himself one, this is what real mastery of a living tradition looks like.

From a tent studio in Port Alberni, a master reshapes what Kwakwaka'wakw carving can be

A chance encounter over morning coffee introduced me to a man whose work stops you cold

He was a genius. He was an Indigenous artist. Both were true. The world just got there first

I've collected Northwest Coast art for more than 40 years and own a number of masks. Wayne Alfred's are among the masterpieces of my collection — and once you see why, you'll understand the obsession.

Forty years collecting Northwest Coast Indigenous art — insight from a lifelong collector’s eye.