Northwest Community College Connections

NWCC students earn national awards

TERRACE – A half dozen Northwest Community College (NWCC) students have been awarded 2011-12 scholarships from Indspire, a national charitable organization formerly known as the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (NAAF).

The deserving winners from NWCC are:

Evelyne Fowler, Terrace – $1,500 to complete a one-year Applied Business Technology program at NWCC (pictured with NWCC President Dr. Denise Henning, right).

Cecilia Morgan, Prince Rupert – $1,300 to continue in the second year of a three-year University Credit - Associate of Science Degree program at NWCC

Theresa Quock, Terrace – $1,200 to complete a one-year Automotive Service Technician Foundations program at NWCC

Kelvin Robinson, Terrace – $500 to complete the final year of a two-year First Nations Fine Arts program at NWCC

Lee Russ, Masset – $800 to complete the final year of a two-year First Nations Fine Arts program at NWCC

Robert White, Prince Rupert – $2,800 to complete the final year of a two-year First Nations Fine Arts program at NWCC

NWCC strives to keep its students in tune of any and all applicable financial awards and bursaries, which facilitate access to post-secondary education and act as an incentive for student excellence.

Robinson, a Nuxalk originally from Bella Coola on BC's central coast, used his award to help pay for his diploma year in the First Nations Fine Arts program at NWCC's Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art. Robinson recently celebrated his graduation from the program, which he says has been a life-changer.

"I feel like with what I have learned in the First Nations Fine Arts program, I am really just finding myself," said Robinson. "I'm discovering the purpose of the art."

Robinson adds the skills he acquired at the School will serve him well in his goal to become a respected artist on the Northwest Coast.

Indspire has evolved into the largest non-governmental funding body for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis post-secondary students across Canada. Based in Ontario, Indspire is described as being dedicated to raising funds to deliver programs that provide the necessary tools for Indigenous peoples, especially youth, to achieve their potential. In total, Indspire has disbursed over $49 million to 14,000-plus recipients since its inception and offers financial assistance (scholarships and bursaries) through four major categories: Post Secondary Education, Fine Arts, Health Careers, and Oil & Gas Aboriginal Trades & Technology.

Pictured above is NWCC President Dr. Denise Henning, centre, flanked by two 2011-12 Indspire scholarship winners, Robert White, second from left and Kelvin Robinson, second from right. With them are Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art instructors Ken McNeil, far left, and Dean Heron, far right.

NWCC instructor wins First Nations art award

Stan Bevan, a full-time instructor at NWCC’s Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art, is among five recipients of the 2011 BC Creative Achievement Award for First Nations' Art. Presented annually by the BC Creative Achievement Foundation, the award is based on a juried competition celebrating artistic excellence in traditional, contemporary or media art. The 2011 recipients will receive $5,000 and the seal of the British Columbia Creative Achievement Award for First Nations' Art in an award ceremony on November 25, 2011 in Vancouver.

Bevan is a graduate of the Kitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Indian Art and has been an instructor at NWCC’s Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art since it opened in the fall of 2006. For over thirty years, he has produced an impressive body of work which includes masks, poles, bowls and frontlets created in the Tsimshian and Tahltan-Tlingit style and has received significant provincial, national and international commissions.

Bevan is currently in China to raise a pole carved to commemorate the victims of the May 12, 2008 earthquake. Bevan and Freda Diesing School instructor Ken McNeil worked with Freda Diesing graduates on the 16-foot tall red cedar pole that bears the crests of the grizzly bear and eagle and will be placed at a new school built with emergency relief funds in China’s Sichuan province.

“Stan is an amazing artist and a fantastic instructor,” said NWCC President Denise Henning. “I am so proud of the work he has accomplished and that he is sharing his passion and knowledge of Northwest Coast art with our students.”

It's official: NWCC Smithers Campus is open!

 

Cutting the ribbon to officially open NWCC's Smithers Campus is, from left, NWCC Board of Governors Chair Rhoda Witherly, Vancouver-Fairview MLA Margaret MacDiarmid, Wet'suwet'en Chief Gyologet Darlene Glaim and NWCC President and CEO, Dr. Denise Henning.

SMITHERS – The public answered Northwest Community College's invitation today as hundreds came out for a street party to mark the official opening of the newly-renovated, state-of-the-art Smithers Campus.

The day's festive atmosphere reached its peak with the blessing and raising of a 28-foot red cedar totem pole, carved by local artists Ron Austin and James Madam. Raised in partnership with the Wet’suwet’en, the pole marks the symbolic last piece of the project.

"This project has been about partnerships from day one and today all those partners and all our communities were represented in a celebration that owes so much to this beautiful and stunning pole that will greet everyone who comes to our Smithers Campus," said Dr. Denise Henning, NWCC President and CEO.

The campus itself opened to classes earlier this year for the spring and summer semesters following an 18-month, two-phase renewal and expansion project. The result, exclaimed visitors and speakers alike today, is a beautiful and modern facility.

Dr. Henning said the transformed campus meets the College's needs to improve and expand the learning opportunities in Smithers and it does so while incorporating the latest in sustainable building technology – a Gold LEED design.

"With this new campus, Northwest Community College can better meet the needs of our students and the community," said Dr. Henning. "The expanded learning facilities mean when opportunities come to our region, we'll be here to help students get the skills they need to take those opportunities."

Visitors toured the new campus throughout the day and they were treated to First Nations singing and drumming and a ceremonial feast following the pole raising.

In addition to being a joint federal-provincial Knowledge Infrastructure Program (KIP) project, the renewal and expansion work was also part of an overall $14-billion capital infrastructure program supported by the Province that will create up to 88,000 jobs and help build vital public infrastructure in every region of B.C.

Click here for more pictures of the Smithers campus opening and pole raising...

Carvers in Action

Work on the totem pole is progressing along and the carvers have started working on the finer details.  

Small frog before carving.  
Ron Sr. working on small frog.                                

 

James is working on the killer whale.  

Bear figure before carving.

Ron Jr. working on the bear claws.  

A Knotty Problem and a Move

A large branch had left a knotty problem for the carvers.  They tried cutting it away, but it went in too deep. Ron Sr. removed the knot and surrounding area in order to put in a patch. A mold was then made of the area.

 

The plan was to trim a block of wood to fit into the hole.

It was time consuming and too difficult to get a perfect fit with the rounded patch, so they ended up just putting in a square patch. 

It worked great.  Can you see the patch?

On May 16^ththe pole was moved from the temporary campus on Tatlow Road to

the newly renovated campus on 2^nd Ave.   

 

Meet the Carvers

Many community members and groups of high school and elementary school students have enjoyed a visit with the artists, watched the progress of the carving and have become part of the totem pole experience. 

The 3 carvers of the NWCC Smithers Campus totem pole are: Ron Austin Sr., James Madam and Ron Austin Jr. 

Ron Austin Sr.

Ron was born in the Wet’suwet’en village of Moricetown in 1953.  Ron’s older brother, Frank, introduced him to drawing images when Ron was a preschooler in Hagwilget.   During his elementary school years, he was further influenced by a Nun, Sister Ruth Ann, who shared her knowledge of art with him.  Ron studied art through all his high school years and he graduated with an additional Visual Art Specialty Diploma.  Next, he graduated, as a top student, from the Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Indian Art in Hazelton.  Ron then went on to study with Mircho Jackabow at Fraser Valley College where he earned a diploma in 1987.  Since then, Ron’s work has gone worldwide.  He was commissioned to carve a 36-foot totem pole for the town of Port of Trieste, Italy.  He also carved poles for cities in the USA and cities in Japan. 

 

Ron views this NWCC project as  a cross-cultural trade.  He says that we display our talents to the community and the community  is receptive  to what we’re doing and they are showing that by helping out.  People  have helped with bringing water to soak the pole,  supplying much appreciated coffee and pastries or by just dropping by to see the progress of the pole.

James Madam 

James Madam was born in Smithers and grew up in various parts of BC.  He graduated in 1988 from Prince George College, and took a carving course at Kitanmaxx School of Northwest Coast Indian Art in 1989.  After completing the 4-year course in 1996, James worked at a culture camp in the Bulkley Valley.  There, he taught Basic Native Artwork for School District 54 and has since been continuing to teach throughout the Bulkley Valley.   In the spring of 1998, he carved a 4’ totem pole of an eagle for the “Tulip Festival in Ottawa.  In 1999, James helped carve the “Bridging the Gap” totem pole for Smithers Secondary School. 

James sees the carving of the NWCC pole as being part of the community.  It is support for education, First Nations and all people.

 

 

 

 

Ron Austin Jr.

Ron Jr. has been an artist since he was 3 years old.  He first learned to carve at his father’s side when he was 8 years old.  He graduated from Hazelton Secondary in 1996.  Over the years, Ron Jr.  explored other careers, but continued to enjoy painting, drawing and sculpting.    In 2005, he returned to carving when he carved a frog under his uncle’s (artist Rocky LaRock) guidance.  He returned fully to art when he took a carving course at the University of the Fraser Valley and graduated with straight A’s in 2010.  Ron plans to make art his career. 

This is his first totem pole and he sees this NWCC project as representing how you can work hard at anything and it will eventually take form.

Totem Pole Design

After the blessing, work continues on the totem pole.  Most of the inner part of the log has been removed and the next step is to put the design on the front of the pole.

Ron Austin, Master Carver, had planned out the design on paper.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The layout is enlarged and taped to the pole.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 The design is transferred onto the pole.

 

 The artists darken the figures and fill in any missing lines.

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smoke feast in Smithers

Last Tuesday, President Henning and I travelled to the new Smithers campus for a smoke feast. This feast was held to discuss the business of the totem pole that is currently being carved by Ron Austin and to ensure protocol is being followed.

When we arrived, Campus Principal Regina Saimoto gave us a tour of the new building. The new campus, which was built to the Gold LEED standard, is absolutely beautiful and boasts two science labs, a glass atrium and a fantastic computer lab. Staff are still unpacking boxes, so it doesn't quite have that 'lived in' look yet.

After the tour, we arrived at the room where the smoke feast was to be held. There was a large table in the middle of the room and three rows of chairs circled the table. Master carver Ron Austin indicated we should sit at the table, and continued to seat folks as they arrived.

At the head of the table sat Wis' lop (Peter David)  who was sitting in for c' ulugit (Darlene Glaim) who couldn't attend.  To his right sat carver James Madam, and to his left sat Rick Budwha, who had been adopted by the Wet'suwet'en Little Frog clan. On the left side of the table sat President Henning, myself, Campus Principal Regina Saimoto and Tanya Reedy, Coordinator for the School of Exploration and Mining. On the other side of the table sat the matriarchs representing the five Wet'suwet'en clans: Big Frog, Small Frog, Wolf/Bear, Fireweed and Beaver).

Timberwolf (Mabel Forsythe) welcomed everyone to the territory and master carver Ron Austin said the prayer. President Henning welcomed people to the feast and thanked them for coming.  Since NWCC was the host, College staff served the food by starting in the back row and going clockwise until all the rows were served. Only after those seated in the rows circling the table were served, can the folks sitting at the table be served. During a smoke feast, it's important not to spill any food as that may tarnish the business being discussed.

After everyone was served, the business of the pole was discussed. It was explained that the pole was being carved to honour the Wet'suwet'en; that NWCC wants to follow protocol and that the pole would be raised at the opening of the campus being held in the fall. Head carver Ron Austin talked about the design of the pole and explained that all the Chiefs have agreed and protocol has been followed. People representing the Wet'suwet'en clans stood up and spoke positively about the pole, the new campus and NWCC honouring the Wet'suwet'en protocol by having a smoke feast.

After the clans agreed on the business at hand, cigarettes and loonies were handed out to those seated in the rows circled around the table until it was all gone. Wis'lop (Peter David) explained that cigarettes are symbolic of the "smoke" part of the feast so that folks could reflect upon the business at hand.

After the closing prayer, the meeting was adjourned and most went out to look at the pole. The picture above shows Dr. Henning with Master Carver Ron Austin.

Kristine Kofoed
Director of Communications & College Advancement

Totem Pole Blessing

On April 20th, staff and students of Smithers temporary campus gathered to welcome Frank Alec for the blessing of the totem pole.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frank Alec and Ron Austin, carver

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frank Alec sang the Sinelh, a spiritual song.  This song has traditionally been performed where peace is needed. This ensures that the work on the totem pole is done in a peaceful, orderly and good way.

 

 

 

 

 

Totem Pole for NWCC Smithers

The work has begun on the totem pole for the new Smithers campus.  Over the next two months, we will be following the transformation of the log into a totem pole.

 

 

 

 

 

The log arrives from Hazelton to Smithers temporary campus where it will be carved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The totem pole starts as a 34-foot red cedar and it is trimmed to 28-feet.

 

The Carvers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                   Ron Austin                                               James Madam

 

 

 

 

 

 

After trimming the log, Ron and James remove the bark and sapwood from the sides.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The heart of the log is removed to help stop checking (splits or cracks) in the totem pole.