CULTURAL GROUP:
Haida (Kiusta) and Blackfoot

BORN:
July 27, 1976

BIRTHPLACE:
Fort McLeod, Alberta

Jay Simeon's father is Eric Simeon, and his mother is Leonora Yellow Horn. His crests include Eagle, Killerwhale, Cormorant, Frog, Beaver, Flicker, and Raven. Jay trained under the guidance of Sharon Hitchcock, a Haida artist who is also his aunt, at the age of fourteen. After being introduced to Andrew Williams, an emerging Haida argillite carver, he was inspired to take up carving in this medium. His progression as an artist has been very rapid, and he creates outstanding works in several media, some of which are elaborately inlayed with abalone and mastodon ivory. With his incredibly detail-oriented style, Jay is one of the most sought-after artists working today. In 2006, one of his argillite pieces was featured in the highly successful Raven Travelling exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery. In 2008, Jay was one of fourteen Haida argillite carvers to be featured in Carol Sheehan's book Breathing Stone. In 2009, Jay was included in the Challenging Traditions exhibition at Ontario's McMichael Gallery, a show that was dedicated to exploring innovative and experimental works from the Northwest Coast. Jay works in argillite, silver, gold, cedar, and acrylics.