David NeelVancouver, British ColumbiaMulti Media Artist David Neel is an accomplished multi-media artist, proficient in mediums as a carver, painter, printmaker, jeweler, writer and photographer. Neel was born and currently lives in Vancouver, BC. He comes from a family of traditional Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw artists, including his father Dave Neel Sr, his grandmother Ellen Neel, his great-great uncle Mungo Martin and his great-great-great grandfather Charlie James. Neel has been creating art for over 35 years - all his pieces are informed by his cultural heritage and traditional values. Though many of his works are contemporary in material and design, Neel learned carving in the traditional style of his father’s people, the Kwakwaka'wakw. Neel has exhibited his work in many public institutions, including solo exhibitions at: the National Portrait Gallery of Canada; The Smithsonian Institution – NMAI; the Venice Biennale, and his work is represented in numerous public collections. His children are following in the family legacy; studying art at the Emily Carr University and working with their father. David's formal training in Fine Arts was at the University of Kansas and at Mount Royal College, Alberta. Following a career as a professional photographer in Texas, David returned to Canada in the early 1990s, and conceived two important projects: one documenting works and images of First Nations elders, and the other promoting the revival of the Northwest Coast great dugout canoe. David's talents are diverse, and he is dedicated to promoting and preserving his Kwakwaka'wakw heritage. In 2019, he was featured in the landmark publication Understanding Northwest Coast Indigenous Jewelry by author Alex Dawkins. In 2020, he published his own book titled The Way Home which was nominated for the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction. Neel is also the author of Our Chiefs and Elders and The Great Canoes.