CULTURAL GROUP:
Haida

BORN:
August 26, 1955

BIRTHPLACE:
Prince Rupert, BC

Rick Adkins comes from a talented family of jewellers; his brothers are established Haida artists Alvin Adkins and James Adkins. Rick's jewellery is highly distinctive, and often contains single hatching and oxidization. Between 1970 and 1971, he studied under late Haida artists Freda Diesing and Richard Yeltatzie. Rick attended the Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver, BC, from 1979-1980. He produced his first bronze sculpture in 1980. Rick began working with wood in 1983, assisting his brother, Alvin, in producing a 34-foot totem pole for the Museum of Northern British Columbia in Prince Rupert, BC. In the late 1980s, he studied with late Haida artist Bill Reid, and assisted in the production of a silver box. It was during this time that he also studied under renowned Haida artist Robert Davidson. Rick has exhibited at the National Gallery in Ottawa, ON, the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, BC, and the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, ON. In 2005, he was featured in the Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation 2 exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City, NY.