Public Speaking
From 1981 to 1998, Yahgulanaas was an active member in the Council of the Haida Nation. In that role, he was instrumental in building innovative alliances between Canadians and Haidas. His experiences with alternative dispute resolution, and negotiation with federal and provincial government ministers fuelled his passion to use art and speaking opportunities as a third space for critical engagement.
In the late 1990s after an exposure to Chinese brush techniques, Yahgulanaas consciously began to merge Haida and Asian artistic influences into his self-taught practice, and created the art form called "Haida Manga." Haida Manga is an expression of hybridity as a positive force.
In his talks, Yahgulanaas's political experience and artistic practice combine to create unique, memorable, and beautiful notes -- notes which encourage audience participation, reflection, dialogue, and action.
Please contact the Studio to find out if Michael would be the right presenter or speaker for your event.
- Proceedings of the The Cedar Symposium, 1999
The Cedar Symposium brought together the Council of the Haida Nation, BC Ministry of Forests and forest industry stakeholders to discuss the escalating tensions over the logging of cedar forests in Haida Gwaii. The Symposium helped to establish the credibility of Indigenous Peoples as informed and competent managers of human activity in forest ecosystems. - Public Mural Projects
In September 2015, as artist-in-residence at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City, Yahgulanaas hosted a day of collaborative and public mural-making. In that single day, over 1,000 people participated in the creation of a 4-metre-long artwork which is now in the permanent collection of the AMNH.
- TEDx Vancouver, 2015
Recorded in front of live audience of 2,500 people at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, this talk is a reminder that art opens all of us to the connections of life, to the meaning of our own selves, and to the space between each other.
Presentation Examples
