Brian Arnie Wadhams

Wadhams, called Arnie by most, has lived in Alert Bay for most if not all of his life. Given his father’s chieftainship, Wadhams now carries a chief’s position within his father’s tribe of the Kwakwaka’wakw, or Kwak̓wala-Speaking-People.

Wadhams’ art mainly consists of copper prints made from repousse, which is a process of pushing the copper from behind to create the image. He then paints black and sands the areas to bring out the natural copper. Alert Bay has many local First Nations artists who produce valued art.