Gilakas’la - Welcome! My name is Lou-ann Neel, and I am from the Mamalilikulla, Ma’amtagila, and Da’naxda’xw people on my mum’s side of the family; and Kwickwasutaineuk, ‘Namgis and Kwagiulth on my dad’s side of the family.

I come from a rich history of artists on both sides of my family, and have been practicing in Kwakwaka’wakw design for over forty years now. I create artworks in various forms – jewelry; textiles and hides; paintings and prints; and vector designing for multiple applications including animation and storybook illustration.

In addition to my arts practice, I have spent that past 40+ years volunteering as an advocate for the rights of Indigenous artists across Canada; this includes seeking support for the establishment of Indigenous arts organizations that can provide local and regional support to Indigenous artists – emerging to professional; and advocating for important changes to the Copyright Act and other cultural and intellectual property laws.