Spotlight on Gerry Sheena

Carver and Former Artist-in-Residence at Vancouver’s Skwachàys Lodge

Written by Tara Lee, from Inside Vancouver, on November 3, 2021.

Gerry Sheena, a carver and member of the Interior Salish Nation, returned to his craft through the Artists in Residence program at Skwachàys Lodge. “I strayed way off track for six years. I was deep in trouble and in darkness,” he says.

“I was trying to turn a new leaf. I was told about Skwachàys, so I thought ‘I’m going to apply. I’ve got nothing to lose, and I still have a pretty good portfolio.” The result was a three-year residency at Skwachàys from 2016 to 2019, which connected Sheena again with his carving, his culture, and himself.