Category: British Columbia

Welcome Figures by Joe David, 1986, at the Vancouver International Airport.

Vancouver Airport First Nations Art

The Vancouver, British Columbia Airport (YVR), contains an impressive collection of regional First Nations art. Divided into pieces that represent land, sea, and sky, the YVR art collection reflects not only the ancient Haida and other first nation traditions throughout British Columbia, but also the prominence of indigenous culture and experience here and elsewhere in Canada. From Bill Reid’s Spirit of the Haida Gwaii: The Jade Canoe (1994) to Joe David’s Welcome Figures carved in the Clayoquot tradition of the Nuu-chah-nulth people, First Nations Art transforms the otherwise typical contemporary airport facility into a remarkable collection of national importance.