Portrait Mask, 1988
by Reg Davidson, Haida First Nation
red cedar, horse hair, pigment
14" high x 15" wide x 6" deep
Haida First Nation artist Reg Davidson was born in 1954 in Masset, Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), British Columbia. Reg began his artistic training under the guidance of his father, Claude Davidson, chief of the Village of Dadens, Haida Gwaii. Many members of his lineage are artists, including Reg’s brother Robert Davidson, his mother Florence Davidson, and his great-grandfather renowned master carver Charles Edenshaw.
In 1977, he worked with his brother Robert on the Charles Edenshaw Memorial Longhouse. In August 1980, Malaspina College on Vancouver Island commissioned Reg to create a 31-foot, 3 figure eagle crest totem pole for presentation to the Tamagawa University of Japan. This led to a second commission for a totem pole raised in Old Masset, Haida Gwaii. One of Reg’s most interesting projects was a major totem pole commissioned in 2006 by world renowned contemporary, conceptual artist Damien Hirst, and in 2008, Reg received a British Columbia Creative Achievement Award for First Nations' Art.
As well as creating artwork, Reg is an accomplished traditional dancer and singer with the Rainbow Creek Dancers, a Haida Dance group that he and his brother Robert formed in 1980. Reg designed and created much of the dance regalia for the group including masks, drums, and kid leather dance capes. Reg recognizes the importance of song and dance to Haida culture.
Reg's style shows reverence for the masters and has changed only slightly over the years. "Simplicity is the hardest thing to achieve" he says.
