Students from all grades at David Livingstone Elementary attended a hands-on Indigenous art and culture workshop on Jan. 16 and 17, 2025. The workshop was hosted by Coast Salish artist, Austin Aan'yas Harry.
During the workshop, students learned about contemporary Indigenous art and saw examples of how Indigenous stories and designs can be applied to popular mediums such as logo design, animation and fashion. In his presentation, Austin taught students about how he develops logos, symbols and animated characters for major brands.
After learning about the foundational shapes and forms West Coast Indigenous art, students carefully cut out the shapes to create a new interpretation of their school mascot, the mountain lion, which is nswú7wui in Squamish. Students also learned about the importance of storytelling and the symbolism of the different animals that are a part of the West Coast Indigenous art.
For Austin, the idea of belonging and knowing one's heritage is important.
"I belong to two clans, the Wolf Clan from the Squamish Nation and Thunderbird Clan from the Namgis Nation," he says, showing some of his artwork that represents each.
Students enjoyed the fun day of cultural learning and took pride in their finished school crests.
