A $20,000 award has been made available annually through a gift from Donald Ellis, in memory of Beau Dick (1955-2017), for a female student from the Kwakwakaʼwakw Nation in any undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or graduate program who has achieved good academic standing and demonstrated leadership and community involvement.
Conditional on the recipient’s continued satisfactory academic progress, the award may be renewed until the recipient receives their first undergraduate degree, first post-baccalaureate degree, or in the case of a graduate student, first graduate degree. If a student from the Kwakwakaʼwakw First Nation is not identified, the award may be given to a student from another First Nation in British Columbia.
Chief Beau Dick, Walas Gwy Um, was an expert carver and knowledge keeper of Kwakwaka’wakw ceremonial tradition who activated ceremony as a way to engage contemporary politics. Beau was the Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory’s Artist in Residence from 2013 to 2017. Donald is an internationally renowned art dealer who focuses on historical First Nations art. He established the Donald Ellis Gallery in Canada in 1976, and opened a New York City location in 2004. Donald counts the National Gallery of Canada, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Louvre Abu Dhabi among his clients.
The award is made on the recommendation of Enrolment Services, and in the case of a graduate student, in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
See other Indigenous awards you may be eligible for.
