Neel, David (1960 - )

Neel draws on both his heritages, Kwakwaka'wakw and European, for his artistic creations. He studied the work of his ancestors by looking at collections and publications of Kwakwaka'wakw art and draws on the traditional materials in order to create his contemporary works. He attended the Mount Royal College in Calgary and the University of Kansas where he studied photography. He has also created a series of masks on contemporary issues, which continues to be a focus of his work in photography, graphic arts and sculpture. He comes from a rich heritage: his father was Dave Neel Sr. who was taught to carve by his mother, Ellen Neel, and her uncle, Mungo Martin.