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Arts

First Nations people in button blankets at Quatsino Sound
First Nations people in button blankets at Quatsino Sound, 19-- Photo Credit: Ben W. Leeson (VPL #14079)

This page lists selected sources of information on British Columbia Indigenous artists and their creative works.

Building Effective Catalogue Searches

By subject heading - region - subdivision:

By group:

Useful subdivisions include:

  • Social Life and Customs
  • Folklore
  • Food
  • History
  • Rites and Ceremonies
  • Religion
  • Legends

Note: Be aware that terms or forms of names used in cataloguing or in titles of books may be different from those currently in use. For best results, you may need to use a variety of keyword search terms or forms of names.

Examples:

  • "Bella Bella" or "Heiltsuk"
  • "Nootka" or "Nuchalnuth"
  • "Indians" or "First Nations"

BC Artists Files

Documentation files on BC visual artists are located in Special Collections, on Level 7.

These files include:

  • magazine and newspaper clippings
  • gallery mailings
  • miscellaneous pamphlet material

The collection includes First Nation artists.

Useful Websites

A collection of images, hosted by Simon Fraser University, that records the arts and architecture of the various First Nations of the Pacific Northwest, focusing on their many and varied artistic and material expressions.

Website of the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art.

Virtual exhibits from the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa.

First Nations-run Crown Corporation with a mandate to support the revitalization of Indigenous language, arts, and culture in British Columbia.

Features online exhibits of B.C. Artists, images from the collections, and online sourcebooks.

Recommended Books
Cover Image for Art of the Northwest Coast

Art of the Northwest Coast

Aldona Jonaitis

Call Number
709.71101 J76a
Publication Year
2006

Bill Reid

Doris Shadbolt

Call Number
709.71101 R35s1
Publication Year
1998
Cover Image for Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast

Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast

Hilary Stewart

Call Number
709.711 S84L
Publication Year
1979

Northwest Coast Indian Art: An Analysis of Form

Bill Holm

Call Number
709.711 H74n
Publication Year
1995
Cover Image for S'abadeb: The Gifts: Pacific Coast Salish Art and Artists

S'abadeb: The Gifts: Pacific Coast Salish Art and Artists

Barbara Brotherton, Seattle Art Museum, Heard Museum, and Royal British Columbia Museum

Call Number
709.71101 S11b
Publication Year
2008
Cover Image for Seekers and Travellers: Contemporary Art of the Pacific Northwest Coast

Seekers and Travellers: Contemporary Art of the Pacific Northwest Coast

Gary Wyatt

Call Number
709.71101 W97s
Publication Year
2012
Cover Image for Sovereign Screens: Aboriginal Media on the Canadian West Coast

Sovereign Screens: Aboriginal Media on the Canadian West Coast

Kristin L. Dowell

Call Number
791.43652 D74s
Publication Year
2013
Cover Image for Understanding Northwest Coast Art: A Guide to Crests, Beings, and Symbols

Understanding Northwest Coast Art: A Guide to Crests, Beings, and Symbols

Cheryl Shearar

Call Number
709.7110103 S53u
Publication Year
2000

Working With Wool: A Coast Salish Legacy and the Cowichan Sweater

Sylvia Olsen

Call Number
746.43209711 O52w
Publication Year
2010

Digital Library Resources
Culture and History Subject Icon

Finding tool for historical information about BC in books, magazines and newspapers in the Vancouver Public Library collection.

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Everywhere for everyone
General Reference Subject Icon

CBCA is a Canadian-focused database that offers access to newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals and reference sources. *Also suitable for research at the elementary, high school and undergraduate levels.

Access:
Everywhere for Vancouver residents
Newspapers and Magazines Subject Icon

Full-text access to over 500 BC and major Canadian daily newspapers. Some titles go back as far as the 1970s.

Access:
Everywhere for Vancouver residents

Contact Us

Northwest History Index

This card index in Special Collection provides access to the Northwest History Collection, a heritage collection covering the early history and exploration of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest.

The collection includes:

  • magazine and newspaper articles
  • pamphlets
  • books
  • chapters in books
  • many other resources

As of August 1998, no new material has been added to the Northwest History Index. It is continued by the British Columbia Index.