CULTURAL GROUP:
Coast Salish

BORN:
1980

BIRTHPLACE:
Vancouver, BC

Thomas Cannell is a young Coast Salish artist who has spent his whole life on the Musqueam Reserve in Vancouver, and has been immersed in the long-established art and cultural traditions of his Musqueam ancestors. He has worked alongside his mother, Coast Salish artist Susan Point, spending many hours training and honing his skills as a carver and designer. Beginning his career as a young apprentice carver, he worked on many large-scale public art works, beginning in 1995 with Flight, the 17-foot spindle whorl commissioned for the Vancouver International Airport. He has also worked with adopted Kwakwaka'wakw artits John Livingston. In 2014, Susan Point and Thomas installed a public work in Richmond titled Salmon Eddy, which can be seen from the West Dyke Walkway. Thomas has attended Langara College and Capilano University, studying many aspects of art from art history to photography to graphic design. Thomas graduated from Capilano University in Tourism Management, reflecting his passion for the environment and his belief in the importance of eco-friendly tourism and sustainability. Thomas has spent time on Northern Vancouver Island milling thousand-year-old cedar trees, and prepping them for cultural purposes.