Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas

CV & Biography

Contact

Site:

http://mny.ca/
http://www.rockingraven.com/ for media (print/audio/video) archives, Blog
http://haidamanga.com/

YouTube: search

1. "Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas"
2. "Challenging Traditions"
3. "Haida Manga"

2010 - Challenging Traditions: Olympic Museum, Lausanne, Switzerland
2010 - Visions of BC: Survey of Contemporary Art: Vancouver Art Gallery, Canada
2010 - RED: Grand Forks Gallery, BC, Canada

2009 - Continuum: Vision and Creativity on the Northwest Coast: Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art, Vancouver
2009 - BC Scene: National Arts Center, Ottawa
2009 - Challenging Traditions: Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast: McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, ON
2008 - What Use Art History?: Comox Valley Art Centre, Comox, BC; Evergreen Centre Art Gallery, Coquitlam, BC; Art Gallery of South Okanagan, Penticton BC
2008 - Influences: Equinox Gallery, Vancouver
2008 - Haida Heritage Center: Skidegate
2006 - Raven Travelling: Vancouver Art Gallery
2006 - Artists of Conscience: Victoria International Art Symposium
2005 - World's Children Picture Book solo exhibition: Seoul, Korea
2005 - 7th World Comic Artist Conference: Bucheon, Korea
2005 - EXPO 2005 Canadian Pavilion: Nagoya Japan: live painting exhibit
2005 - Du Monde Aux Balkans Festival: Milano, Italy
2004 - Red White 100% Design: Canada House - London, England
2004 - 7th Annual International Cartoon Book Festival: Bucheon, Korea
2004 - Vancouver Writers' Festival: Vancouver, BC, Canada
2003 - "The Last Voyage of the Black Ship": Museum of Anthropology (paintings)
2003 - "No Apologies Necessary": Canada entry Tokyo Design Week (ranked top ten)
2003 - "Raw Potential" group exhibition: Vancouver
2003-2005 - Word Under the Street: Vancouver Public Library
2002 - Dixon Maritime Museum, solo exhibition: Masset, Haida Gwaii
2002 - The Sqaangwaii Robe: Haida Gwaii Museum at Qay'llnagaay - permanent

2009 - Masters Gallery, Calgary
2009 - Glenbow Museum, Calgary
2007 - Museum of Anthropology, Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC - 6 month intervention project, June to December 2007

2009 - Works presented to Dalai Lama, Bishop D. Tutu and other Nobel Peace Prize winners
2006 - Project Grant Visual Arts: Canada Council for the Arts
2006 - Grant: BC Arts Council
2004 - Project Grant First People's Heritage: Language and Culture Council, BC
2002 - Project Grant First People's Heritage: Language and Culture Council, BC
2002 - Visual Arts Award: Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC
2001 - Project Grant: Canada Council for the Arts
2001 - Project Grant First People's Heritage: Language and Culture Council, BC

2009 - Vancouver International Writers Festival
2009 - Luminara Festival, Victoria, Canada
2009 - WORDFEST: Banff Calgary International Writers Festival
2009 - WORDFEST: 22nd Vancouver International Writer’s Festival
2006 - Edenso Potlatch
2005 - EXPO Nagoya Japan - Live painting competition
2004 - Museum of the American Indian - New York - Singer
1999 - Dance and Performance director - Naming of Edenso
1991 - Orpheum Theatre - Greenpeace Canada - singer
1986-2005 - Traditional Singer - numerous Haida potlatches, feasts and community events

2009 - TAKE OFF. Public sculpture at Thunderbird Arena, UBC campus; Winter Olympics 2010 Art commission
2009 - BONE BOX for Continuum: Vision and Creativity on the Northwest Coast. Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art, Vancouver
2008 - RE ME MB ER. Geist Magazine, Vancouver

Glenbow Museum - Calgary, AB
Vancouver Art Gallery - Vancouver, BC
Museum of Anthropology - Vancouver, BC
Haida Gwaii Museum at Qay’llnagaay, BC
Kawasaki City Manga Museum - Kawasaki, Japan

Luke Lindoe Library at the Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD)

Japan, Korea, Canada, USA, Qatar

2009 - American Museum of Natural History and Bard Graduate Center, NY
2009 - Widening our Lens: Connecting Our Practice - 2nd International Conference on Restorative Justice - Vancouver
2008 - REMEMBER festival sponsored by GEIST Magazine, Vancouver
2008 - Word Fest
2008 - 21st Vancouver International Writer's Festival
2008 - Vancouver Public Library
2004 - Word Fest

2009 - ART Matters: Governor General of Canada roundtable
2009 - Continuum: Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art, Vancouver
2006 - Victoria International Art Symposium

2009 - RED. Vancouver. Douglas and McIntyre. Haida Manga
2008 - Flight of the Hummingbird. Vancouver. Douglas and McIntyre. (Canada, Australia)

• Winner of Gold medal for Outstanding Book of the Year 2009 13th Annual Independent Publishers (USA)
• Winner of 2008 Best Cover Design Society of Graphic Designers (Canada)

2007 - Quantum Spies REDBLACK pub. Korea pp. 88 to 127
2006, 2005 - Hachidori (Japan) pub. Kobansha
2006 - Le Vol Du Colibri (French)
2006 - El Vuelo del Colibri (Spanish)
2005 - Comics Journal (USA) Haida Manga
2004 - A Lousy Tale. Haida, self-pub (Canada House, London, England) 20 pages
2002 - MADBURGER (Czech Republic) illustr p. 5
2002 - What Right! Anthology (Vancouver) Arsenal Press, pp. 50 to 53
2002-2004 - Crank Vancouver, Rockingraven serialized
2002 - Vancouver Special, annual comic book, Rockingraven pp. 19 to 22
2002 - Nonni's Will, Legal Services Society of BC illust. 4 pages
2002 - The Last Voyage of the Black Ship, Western Canada Wilderness Committee Haida Manga 36 page colour
2001 - A Tale of Two Shamans Theytus Books and Haida Gwaii Museum 85 pages
1998-2002 - Spruceroots Magazine: editorial cartoons
1987 - Tales of Raven Vol. 2: Mutants of the Pit
1977 - Tales of Raven Vol. 1: No Tankers Thanks

Thom, Ian. Challenging Traditions. Vancouver: Douglas and McIntyre, 2009 pp. 2, 170-175
Raven Travelling, Edited by: Daina Augaitis - contributor pp. 155 to 165, illust pp 166 to 167
Haida Cosmic - Meet. France. Issue #12, 2008 pp. 309 to 323
Ramsay, Heather. Gallery West, Fall/Winter 2007 p. 34 interview
Simon Fraser University catalogue: Two Trees - 2005 p. 28
8th Bucheon International Comics Festival, 2005 p. 76
Hodson, Jeff. Metro Magazine 2005. Article on War of the Blink artwork
7th World Comic Artist’s Conference. 2005. catalogue p. 357 McKinnon, Harvey: Power of Giving. 2005. Tides Canada Foundation. p. 52
Yahgulanaas, Michael Nicoll. Remember. GEIST Magazine. Fall 2008; pp. 49 to 56
GEIST Magazine; Issue 55 pp. 26, 27
7th Bucheon International Comics Festival, 2004 p. 101
Redwire (Canada) Vol 5 Issue 3, Feb 2003 pp. 11 to 17
THIS magazine. 2003 Tale of two Shamans p. 43
Tokyo Design. 2003 catalogue illustration

2009 - Bravo TV documentary to be aired Fall 2009

2008 - Stephen Quinn. CBC The Early Edition. Interview August 27 (6:01)
2008 - Fanny Keifer. Shaw TV Interview. July 17 (21:15)
2008 - Sheryl MacKay. North By Northwest. CBC Radio. Interview. Flight of the Hummingbird May 25 (19:03)
2007 - Shane Zwack. First Story, CTV. Interview. Meddling in the Museum exhibit. Commentary by Curator of the Museum of Anthropology. November 17 (9:13)
2007 - July TV Weather Network - interview exhibit of Haida Manga called Meddling in the Museum, MOA (2:27)
2007 - Shaw TV Johanna Ward at the UBC Museum of Anthropology for Meddling in the Museum July 7
2007 - July 7, The Express, Shaw Cable, Vancouver. (6:33)
2007 - Paul Grant. The Art Report, CBC Radio - Meddling in the Museum, an installation at the UBC Museum of Anthropology. July 10. (7:46)
2007 - TBS TV (Japan) Broadcast News 23, Japan, January 16, (1:07, Japanese)
2006 - CBC Radio interview - June 26 - (10:00)
2006 - CBC - Sounds Like Canada - 2006
2006 - SUD OUEST (France) "Images du Monde autochtone" June 26
2006 - NHK television - Japan; August 23
2005 - CBC Radio One: discussing Haida Manga and Indigenous relations
2005 - CBC Radio - June 28 - Day Break, Host Russell Bowers: Haida Manga
2005 - Metro (Vancouver edition) September front and inside page
2005 - Tokyo Shinbun Newspaper May 23 in Japanese
2005 - Chugoku Newpaper - Japanese
2005 - Ehime Newspaper - Japanese
2005 - Fukui Newspaper - Japanese
2005 - Gifu Newspaper - Japanese
2005 - Nagasaki Newspaper - Japanese
2005 - Saitama Newspaper - Japanese
2005 - Sotokoto magazine - September - Guest Interview
2005 - Design House Magazine - June - Seoul, Korea
2005 - CBC radio interview - (6:00)
2004 - Globe and Mail June 26 in Style section
2004 - CBC Radio interview - Sounds Like Canada - (20:00)
2004 - Province newspaper - "Haida Stories get new life" Sep 26 p. C14
2004 - The SPARK newspaper - Washington DC
2003 - National Post Oct 7, Arts and Life section - "Making No Apologies"
2003 - CBC Sounds Like Canada - Sheilagh Rogers
2003 - CBC Arts Report - Oct 25 "Artist combines native art, Japanese comics"
2003 - Georgia Straight - Dec 11 "Barking Up The Right Tree"
2003 - Vancouver Sun - Dec 9 "Design challenges images of Canada"
2003 - Vancouver Sun - Oct 23 "Haida comics break myths" pp. D1 & D2
2003 - The Street - Vancouver. newspaper October various
2003 - Vancouver Sun - October 4 - Front section and inside page Arts & Life
2002 - THIS magazine - book review of Tale of Two Shamans Jan Feb p. 43
2002 - CBC Radio - The Arts Report October "Canadians hit Tokyo Design"

Professional Artist since 2001

2006 - Emma Lake Workshop, Emma Lake, SK
2000 - Totem Pole, Haida Gwaii: under Master Carver Jim Hart Edenso
1999 - Bill Reid Memorial pole: under Master Carver Jim Hart Edenso
1999 - Brush technique studied under Cai Ben Kwon (Canton School of Art)
1978 - Totem Pole: under Master Carver Robert Davidson (Order of Canada)
Ongoing mentor: Delores Churchill (National Endowment for the Arts award)

2008 - board member The Christiansen Fund, San Francisco
2008 - Canada Council Jury Member
2006 - BC Arts Council advisor

Artist Biography

Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas is a very active player in a vibrant shift in the comfortably familiar world of Canada's iconic First Nations' art. After a career that spanned three decades of involvement in high-profile Haida political successes, Yahgulanaas decided to finally apply his formal training in classic Haida design.

He takes from an extensive corpus of Haida narratives and transforms them into contemporary, accessible and socially relevant Art. Yahgulanaas invented a new genre of graphic narrative called Haida Manga - part Haida, part Asian, and all Michael - to combat the simplistic narratives perpetrated about Indigenous People of the Pacific Coast. He's telling another story altogether: of complex human beings struggling, loving and dreaming just like everyone else.

Social and environmental issues continue to play a big role in his works and when blended with his passionate belief in the power of the small Yahgulanaas is clearly adeptly blending appealing imagery with contemporary issues.

Comments from Curators

If it seems that Yahgulanaas is only now developing a reputation as a creator of visual narratives, that's because his overnight success has been 20 years in the making. For the past two decades he spent most of his time working with other Haida people to prevent their land from being logged.

(Yahgulanaas') paintings... represent a contemporary Haida inquiry into image and narrative; they reflect on the significance of Northwest Coast iconographies to living communities; they introduce a new formal and conceptual approach to Haida art; and they link Haida and non-Haida concerns through a popular-culture medium.

--Karen Duffek, UBC Museum of Anthropology