Balance Panel, 2011
depicting Human, Frog, and Wolf
by Joshua Prescott, Cree First Nation
yellow cedar, abalone inlays, cedar bark
20” diameter, 1” deep
Cree First Nation artist Joshua Prescott was born in Victoria, BC in 1982. He attended Victoria High School, and first found a passion for Native art through his teacher Victor Newman, a Kwakwaka'wakw artist from Fort Rupert, BC. Joshua was awarded highest honors and the graduation prize as outstanding Native art student in the year 2000.
Joshua married into the Nuu-chah-nulth Nation and is currently living in Port Alberni, B.C. His two sons are Wolf Clan, and his boys serve as great inspiration for his current works in the traditional Nuu-chah-nulth style.
In 1999, Victor Newman introduced Joshua to renowned Northwest carver John Livingston. Joshua worked as John’s assistant from 1999 to 2006, where he learned the discipline and skill required to create works of the highest caliber. John Livingston introduced Joshua to renowned master carvers Calvin Hunt, Eugene Hunt, Peter Grant, Art Thompson and Rande Cook, who’s influence can be seen in his detailed carving, painting, and fine craftsmanship. Joshua specializes in masks, drums, canoe paddles, bentwood boxes and wall panels in red cedar, yellow cedar, alder, and maple.
Today, Joshua works closely with his son’s great grandmother Katie Fraser of the Tia-O-Qui-Aht First Nation at the Nuu-chah-nulth Cultural Society, and strives to keep the Nuu-chah-nulth language alive. Katie has her Masters in Education and an Undergraduate degree in Linguistics. Joshua feels it is very important to teach the youth about their culture, and that language, land, art, culture, and people are all one. While Joshua’s work is currently devoted solely to the art of the Nuu-chah-nulth, he continues to be a keeper of tradition in his community and for his sons, the next generation of artists.
