“Art has been a way of life for myself from teaching to creating totem poles. I've always strived to understand the fundamentals through studying past masters. Since I've started, the art has gone through many changes, the challenge is to continue to reinvent yourself and stay true to your believe in the journey. Transformation is achieved by study, travel, teaching and producing a lot of work. I look forward to continuing new directions in the art.”
Stan Bevan
Stan Bevan (b. 1961) is an established Northwest Coast Artist recognized for his superbly innovative design and his impeccable attention to detail. The nephew of acclaimed Tahltan-Tlingit master carver Dempsey Bob, Stan was born to a Tahltan-Tlingit mother and Tsimshian father. He began his training as an artist at the Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Indian Art at ‘Ksan in Hazelton, BC in 1979, after which he completed a two year apprenticeship with Dempsey Bob.
Stan subsequently provided Dempsey with assistance on a number of major commissions in the years following, including a 31-foot pole in Ketchikan, Alaska and a 12-foot house post in Saxman Village. By 1987, Stan had a strong grounding in art and culture, having contributed to numerous commissions, educational projects, and ceremonies. He created a totem pole for the University of British Columbia First Nations House of Learning, and in 1992, he completed a totem pole that represented Canada at Expo ’92 in Seville, Spain (later raised at the Kitselas Cultural Centre).
He has led important modern day totem pole carvings and raisings including the totem pole outside Wii Gyemsiga Siwilaawksat, the new student housing building on the Terrace campus of Coast Mountain College. On Sept. 30, 2022, the Kermode Friendship Society raised another one of the poles led by Bevan, honouring Indian Residential School Survivors. In 2023, Bevan, along with Master Carvers Dempsey Bob (Tahltan-Tlingit) and New Zealand-based artist Lyonel Grant (Māori and Pakeha) raised the Pacific Song of the Ancestors totem pole.
