You can find this year’s Local Hero Awards special feature in the March 22 edition of the Goldstream Gazette or online under e-editions. Stay tuned for more on each of this year’s honourees, you will also be able to read their stories online at goldstreamgazette.com/tag/local-hero-awards.
Each winner of this year’s Local Hero Awards will receive a hand-carved paddle created by Haida artist John Bellis.
Known for the totem poles, paddles, drums and bentwood boxes he creates, Bellis is inspired by Haida mythology and culture. That respect for tradition and ancestry is evident in every piece he creates.
After moving to Greater Victoria, Bellis now calls Sooke home.
He hails from a family with multiple generations of Haida artists. Born in Masset on the Haida Gwaii Islands in northwestern B.C., he is the grandson of Captain Andrew Brown, a well-known Argillite carver from the islands. He has also passed his knowledge and skills to his son, Mike Bellis.
Read more about his journey and art online here.
This year’s Local Hero Award honourees will be announced in a special video on Wednesday so stay tuned.
READ MORE: Sooke artist carries on family’s Haida carving tradition
READ MORE: 2023 Local Hero Awards
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