FPCC Grant Recipient Eliot-Whitehill, "Kwulasultun" Speaks to Raven Country

Raven Country News spoke with Eliot Whitehill, known as “Kwulasultun”, a Coast Salish artist and storyteller from the Snuneymuxw First Nation who received a grant for post secondary art education.

The First Peoples' Cultural Council announced Indigenous Arts Scholarship recipients this week, distributing over $290,000 in scholarships that will support education and mentorships for Indigenous artists all across B.C.

Whitehill told us, Wednesday morning, “So I’m doing my Masters in Fine Art at Emily Carr, and I just started in September. Im really excited about that, to get the chance to really develop my practice as an artist. And to do research, my research is actually going to be on the revitalization of Coast Salish art".

Whitehall spoke to us about the privilege of learning from First Nations teachers, in community with other  Coast Salish artists,

 “You know, learning under some really incredible Indigenous artists there, with the Aboriginal Gathering    Place. Being in Vancouver, which is the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh people, there is such an incredible community of Coast Salish artists over here."

His practice is rooted in honouring and celebrating the teachings and stories that have been passed down through his community. He only been an artist for a bit under 4 years, but the deep connection he has with the cultural history of Coast Salish art absolutely transcends that timeline.

“I really just started making art since 2019, so its not been that long but its been an incredible journey.” Whitehill said.

“Just learning more about who I am as a Snuneymuxw person, as a Coast Salish person, finding ways to honour and tell stories that come from our traditions and our teachings. I think we need to share that and celebrate it, and make sure it will be there for future generations.”

The financial access to learning at Emily Carr has opened up broader opportunities for Whitehill to engage in other forms of artistry, beyond the digital world where he mostly found himself early in his arts career. 

“You know being at Emily Carr I am really pushing myself to work on using my hands and making physical works of art as well. While so much of my practice has been digital, I am really pushing myself into sculpture, painting, and really thinking about the performance aspect of my art.”

He hopes to share what he finds beautiful and profound about the Coast Salish worldview through his art.

Whitehill emphasizes the profound impact this funding will have on the vitality of Indigenous art and creators all across the province,

“I’m just so grateful for the funding, just thinking about what an enormous impact this has. Not only for myself but for all of the people who have received funding both this year, and in other years.” He said.

“Its overcoming pretty significant barriers that exist to access education and skills development. I just can’t under speak the significance of that.”

Eliot Whitehill’s art can be viewed at www.kwulasultun.com, we look forward to see what new art he creates with the support of this funding as he moves through his Masters degree. 

The FPCC is in the second year offering these Indigenous Arts Scholarships, with funding support from the BC Arts Council which comes through the BC Ministry of Tourism, Arts Culture, and Sport. This year these scholarships support the artistic development of 20 Indigenous artists in BC.