Dear Friends,

The following is an open invite to all, for this Saturday October 24th 2015.

Come Meet Luke Marston, after his sold-out lecture on Saturday, October 24th 2015 between 3:00 - 5:00 pm at Spirits of the West Coast Native Art Gallery, 2926 Back Road (between Comox and East Courtenay).

On October 24th 2015, Luke Marston will be the guest lecturer in the Comox Valley ElderCollege series, “From Inheritance to Intuition: 7 Contemporary Northwest Coast First Nations artists.” (Though the series is sold out, ElderCollege members may obtain any available rush seats if they arrive at the Stan Hagen theatre by 9:30). His lecture is called:

FROM SHORE TO SHORE—CULTURAL ANCESTRY IN WOOD AND BRONZE. Luke Marston is inspired by the legacy of his Coast Salish and Portuguese ancestors. It is a legacy made visible in a monumental sculpture newly dedicated in Vancouver’s Stanley Park. This sculpture and other iconic works reveal his ability to balance traditional and contemporary Coast Salish art. A cultural ambassador for Northwest Coast art, he has a national and international following that takes him from shore to shore.

Luke Marston (Ts'uts'umutl) was born in 1976 to carvers Jane and David Marston. Learning from Coast Salish artist Simon Charlie and then working for five years at Thunderbird Park at the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, alongside Jonathan Henderson, Sean Whannock, Sean Karpes and his brother, John Marston, Luke has exhibited in Canada, the United States and Japan. He has had major commissions from the Canadian government, The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, and the Vancouver Airport. The book by award-winning author Susan Fournier called “Shore to Shore, The art of Ts'uts'umutl Luke Marston” was recently released to coincide with the installation of his 14-foot bronze sculpture, Shore to Shore, (shown above) in Vancouver’s Stanley Park’s northeast, overlooking downtown.

The sculpture, surrounded by engraved Portuguese stone, stands at the site of his family’s ancestral village site X̲wáýx̲way, and celebrates Portuguese adventurer Joe Silvey (“Portuguese Joe”) as well as Silvey’s first and second Coast Salish wives, Khaltinaht and Kwatleemaat. Luke Marston is the great-great-grandson of Portuguese Joe and Kwatleemaat. Joe Silvey was born and raised on Portugal’s Atlantic Azores Islands, and after several adventures, Joe found himself on the Pacific, and an early pioneer of Vancouver’s Gastown. The sculpture honours the link between Portuguese and Coast Salish First Nations cultures, marks the land’s rich heritage, and symbolizes unity for the Vancouver’s present-day cultural diversity.

Luke Marston’s work is becoming extremely collectible and many regard him as one of the most influential Coast Salish Artists today. You might have seen his work featured just a few months ago in the Comox Valley Art Gallery exhibition called: “Record (Re)Create: Contemporary Coast Salish Art from the Salish Weave Collection.”

Everyone is invited to meet Luke Marston, ask questions and enjoy some of his original artwork.  Just drop by Spirits of the West Coast Native Art Gallery between 3:00 – 5:00 pm this Saturday afternoon.