Acclaimed Northwest Coast Indigenous artist and educator Stan Bevan (Satsan) has been named to the Order of British Columbia, the province’s highest honour, recognizing more than four decades of artistic mastery and mentorship.
The announcement was made last week, and this week CFNR News spoke with Bevan about the recognition and his lifelong commitment to art and cultural education.
Bevan, of Tahltan-Tlingit and Tsimshian heritage, is celebrated for revitalizing and evolving Northwest Coast formline art and for co-founding the Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art at Coast Mountain College in 2006.
Trained at the Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Indian Art in Hazelton in 1979, he apprenticed for six years under his uncle, master carver Dempsey Bob. He has contributed to more than 100 monumental works worldwide, from totem poles in Ketchikan and Saxman Village to the Pacific Song of the Ancestors pole at Emily Carr University.
At Freda Diesing School, Bevan mentored over 150 students, emphasizing traditional design and personal expression. He will be formally invested into the Order of B.C. at Government House in Victoria on September 16, 2025.
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