Project Collaborator
Makwala–Rande Cook
Biography
Makwala-Rande Cook is a Ma’amtagila Hereditary Chief born in ‘Yalis-’Namgis/Alert Bay, British Columbia, a visual artist, and founder of the Awi’nakola Foundation, a nonprofit working on forest preservation in British Columbia through the confluence of Indigenous knowledge, scientific research, and the arts. Cook’s art mixes traditional and contemporary approaches and media, aligned with Kwakwaka’wakw stories and values. Bringing his title as Hereditary Chief to traditional lands of his ancestors, Cook has hosted many feasts and potlatches, has apprenticed with master carvers working in traditional Northwest Coast method, and exhibits internationally. Cook was Audain Professor of Contemporary Art Practice of the Pacific Northwest at the University of Victoria (2016– 2017). He is a member of the collective Hase’, which works closely with the Awi’nakola Foundation.
Project
