Nicholas Galanin

Nicholas Galanin was born in 1979 in Sitka, Alaska and is of mixed Tlingit/Aleut and non-Native ancestry. Galanin was first introduced to visual arts by learning traditional crafts of his tribe from his father and uncle. He later studied at London Guildhall University where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts and with Honors in Jewelry Design and Silversmithing. Galanin went to graduate school at Massey University in New Zealand, where he furthered his study of native arts and earned his graduate degree in Indigenous Visual Arts in 2004. Galanin paves his own path of creativity. “My art enters this stream at many different points, looking backwards, looking forwards, generating its own sound and motion. I am inspired by generations of Tlingit creativity and contribute to this wealthy conversation through active curiosity,” he said. Galanin embraces contemporary aesthetics but with a traditional twist that leaves his viewers fascinated.