Nuučaanuł-led gallery and carving facility promotes economic empowerment and cultural revitalization in Tla-o-qui-aht Ha-houlth-ee
Tla-o-qui-aht Ha-houlth-ee, Tofino, BC, 21 November 2024 — IISAAK OLAM Foundation is establishing a new commercial space at the Naa’Waya’Sum Gardens that will empower nuučaanuł entrepreneurs. The project will enhance Indigenous business development in tourism, provide visitors with a cultural tourism experience, and improve infrastructure for Indigenous entrepreneurs through a new project investment with Island Coastal Economic Trust.
The Naa’Waya’Sum Art Gallery and Carving Facility will provide a place to display nuučaanuł art and carvings, alongside weavings, paintings, prints, jewelry, and other local Indigenous artwork. By working in collaboration with a diversity of artists and organizations, including local Indigenous artists and cultural organizations such as the Carving on the Edge Festival Society, the project strives to meet the needs and aspirations of those involved.
The carving facility, which also received funding support from the First Peoples’ Cultural Council, will become a space for mutual learning and knowledge transfer. By working in tandem with the new art gallery, the Naa’Waya’Sum facilities will prioritize Indigenous community members employment and seasonal internships, while increasing Indigenous representation in the vibrant visitor economy across the Tofino and Ucluelet region.
In 2021, the 10-acre Tofino Botanical Gardens was sold to the Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCA) Innovation Program — a project of MakeWay Charitable Society — and renamed the Clayoquot Campus. As a campus of the Pacific IPCA Innovation Centre, it is a place of learning and collaboration for Indigenous-led conservation through cultural revitalization, education, and regenerative economic development. The project is led by IISAAK OLAM Foundation, which holds the management and operations lease for the property and its programs and activities.
By building and renovating existing spaces, the IISAAK OLAM Foundation will further transform the facility into a comprehensive and culturally significant centre that celebrates Indigenous heritage and knowledge within Tla-o-qui-aht Ha-houlth-ee, which includes Tofino, B.C. Project enhancements will focus on incorporating modern technology and equipment to enhance visitor experience and developing outdoor spaces for exhibitions and performances. Further work will be completed to ensure the facilities are fully accessible for all visitors.
The project began earlier in 2024, with a targeted completion by July 2025. More information about the Clayoquot Campus is available on the Naa’Waya’Sum Carving Studio and Art Gallery website.
Island Coastal Economic Trust is investing with IISAAK OLAM Foundation into the Naa’Waya’Sum Art Gallery Project through the Capital and Innovation Program. The Trust will contribute $180,000 towards a total new investment in the region of $562,000. The Trust is making this investment with focus on its Cultural and Nature-Based Tourism impact priority.
Quotes from the Project
“The addition of a carving facility and Nuu-chah-nulth art gallery is an important statement about the shifting programmatic focus of the Clayoquot Campus—one that centres Nuu-chah-nulth culture, voices, teachings, and leadership. Change takes time, and we’re transforming a community gem, which requires courage and trust. Our team has been working closely and under the guidance of Nuu-chah-nulth Master Carvers and cultural leaders. I believe strongly that this project will further unite the Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities of Clayoquot Sound in such a positive way that people will be coming from all over the world to witness the magic.” – Monica Shore, Co-founder and Executive Director, IISAAK OLAM Foundation
“The First Peoples’ Cultural Council’s Heritage Infrastructure Program is honoured to support the restoration of the Carving Facility and development of an important community-shared space. The carving shed, and its three interconnected spaces, support the transfer of First Nations knowledge and skills which is vital to the protection and continuance of the unique cultural practices of this region. This project is a significant step forward in the recognition of First Nations people as the rightful stewards of their culture, stories and artforms.” – Karen Aird, Heritage Program Manager, the First Peoples’ Cultural Council.
“Congratulations to IISAAK OLAM Foundation on its new commercial space at the Naa’Waya’Sum Gardens. The investment in Indigenous entrepreneurship is an essential component of our national reconciliation with First Nations for historical wrongs. Thank you to all who have worked so tirelessly to achieve this wonderful contribution to cultural tourism in our community. Your work is an immense benefit to our economy, the environment and public education. Klecko Klecko.” – Gord Johns, Member of Parliament, Courtenay-Alberni
“We are excited about this project because it demonstrates a clear initiative to increase First Nation representation in Tofino’s busy tourism economy. By combining interpretation with a commercial hub that empowers First Nation artists, the Naa’Waya’Sum Art Gallery will impact many nuučaanuł First Nation members and visitors to their traditional territories.” – Brodie Guy, CEO, Island Coastal Economic Trust
Media Contacts
Jeff Bartlett
Communications and Impact Manager
Island Coastal Economic Trust
jeff@islandcoastaltrust.ca
250-871-7797
Monica Shore
Co-Founder and Executive Director
IISAAK OLAM Foundation
monica@iisaakolam.ca
250-802-7193
