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Roy Henry Vickers, First Nations Artist
Roy Henry Vickers, first nations artist was included in Macleans magazine’s Annual Honour Roll of Extraordinary Canadian Achievers, and no one blends yesterday and tomorrow like First Nations artist Roy Henry Vickers.His work, and the key role he has played in advocating the growth of the First Nations community, has made him an inspiration for politicians, artists and reformers around the globe.
Raised among the people of the First Nations, living in the Tsimshian village of Kitkatla for eight years prior to his graduation from high school, his seven years of service to the Saanich Fire Department and the subsequent launch of his artistic career, Roy Henry Vickers has developed a passion for his people and his heritage that echoes in each piece of art created by his hands. Aspiring artists and patrons can visit his artwork at the Eagle Aeirie Gallery in Tofino, his flagship gallery.
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Visitors to the gallery have described his work as innovative and peaceful, emphasizing the serenity and the history that are found within the gallery walls. His work infuses the traditional art of the first nations with a contemporary beat that firmly resists the label of stale and old fashioned.
However, despite his vast and extensive contributions to the art of the First Nations it is not his prints, paintings or carvings which will be remembered when his children and his children’s children learn about the heritage of this remarkable man.
It will be his heart and his willingness to help give people the chance to make a fresh start that will earn him a place in history.
Among the people of the First Nations he is recognized as a strong and dynamic leader and keynote speaker, straightforward and honest when it comes to expressing his opinion of the steps that need to be taken to conserve and grow the First Nations community-even when it means going against the popular opinion.
His thoughts and statements are not always politically correct, as he demonstrated with his views on the financial management of the New Relationship Trust (a fund established to build “A better British Columbia, where First Nations have efficient and effective governments, vibrant culture and language, social justice and economic prosperity.”)
“We need…leaders who are not afraid to deal with it, and to put the money where it is needed-in healing. When that happens, you will see changes, and until it happens…You will just see money poured down the drain…” said Vickers with regard to the New Relationship Trust.
In addition to his vital role in the First Nations community, he also actively reaches out to the victims of addiction and abuse through his non-profit organization, VisionQuest. A former victim of addiction, Vickers founded VisionQuest to show that it’s never too late for hope, and a chance for a new beginning. His print, Manyhands, was made to represent the journey made by Roy Henry Vickers and his people to establish the Vision Quest Recovery Centre in the community of Lake Cowichan.
Roy Henry Vickers personifies all that the First Nations is, and was, and one day will be. To find out more about this man and his contributions, both to the art of the First Nations and to society, visit his website at Roy Henry Vickers, first nations artist.
