Clarence "Butch" Dick (Yux'way'lupton) (born 1946) is a

Lekwungen The Lekwungen or Lekungen nation (lək̓ʷəŋən often called the Songhees or Songish by non-Lekwungens) are an Indigenous North American Coast Salish people who reside on southeastern Vancouver Island, British Columbia in the Greater Victoria a ...

artist, educator and activist residing in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Education

Dick attended residential school in

Penelakut Island Penelakut Island, formerly known as Kuper Island and renamed in 2010 in honour of the Penelakut First Nation people, is located in the southern Gulf Islands between Vancouver Island and the mainland Pacific coast of British Columbia, Canada. ...

, Indian day school, and public and private schools in Victoria. He studied design at the Vancouver School of Art in the 1960s, as well as at Camosun College.

Career

Dick began his career in education first at Shoreline Middle school (District 61), teaching First Nations arts & culture in the early 1980s. He was an assistant professor at University of Victoria, where he taught an Indigenous Learning course. He is also regarded as a Master Carver of Coast Salish totem poles. Dick is now an elder of the Songhees First Nation community.

Public art

In 2014, Dick was the designer of the Rock Bay Mural Project on Government and Princess streets in Victoria, BC, in collaboration with Darlene Gait. The project was a collaboration between the

Songhees The Lekwungen or Lekungen nation (lək̓ʷəŋən often called the Songhees or Songish by non-Lekwungens) are an Indigenous North American Coast Salish people who reside on southeastern Vancouver Island, British Columbia in the Greater Victoria a ...

and Esquimalt First Nations, BC Hydro and Tervita Corporation. "Two Brothers" Spirit Poles in Spirit Square, Victoria, BC are a collaboration between Butch Dick and his son, Clarence Jr. The painted wood poles were erected in 2009 and are 18 feet high. The pair comprises a traditionally designed pole by Dick and a contemporary design by Clarence Jr. "Signs of Lekwungen" is a collaboration between Butch Dick, and his sons, Clarence and Bradley. The work is located on 680 Montreal Street in Victoria, B.C. in Laurel Point Park. The sculpture depicts a Coast Salish

spindle whorl A spindle whorl is a disc or spherical object fitted onto the spindle to increase and maintain the speed of the spin. Historically, whorls have been made of materials like amber, antler, bone, ceramic, coral, glass, stone, metal (iron, lead, lead ...

, in a bronze-cast carving originally done with close-grain Red Cedar. The bronze-casting is anchored to a brown powder coated aluminum pole. The sculpture is 2.5 metres in height and weighs 1000 lbs.

Collections

His work is included in the collections of the British Museum and the

Art Gallery of Greater Victoria The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV) is an art museum located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Situated in Rockland, Victoria, the museum occupies a building complex; made up of the Spencer Mansion, and the Exhibition Galleries. The ...

Awards

Dick was awarded the lifetime achievement award by Leadership Victoria in 2015. He was the first aboriginal elder to receive this award.

References

Canadian muralists {{DEFAULTSORT:Dick, Clarence 1946 births Living people First Nations artists Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts