Dorothy Grant
 
   
  Dorothy Grant Bio
 
 

Dorothy Grant was born in Hydaburg Alaska and grew up in Ketchikan Alaska. She is a Kaigani Haida of the raven clan from the Brown Bear House of Howkan. Among her family crests are: Two-finned Killer Whale, Shark, Berry Picker in the Moon, Two-headed Raven and Brown Bear.

Dorothy is a traditional Haida artist and contemporary fashion designer. Her garments, ceremonial button blankets and spruce root hats are treasured by Haidas as expressions of living culture and may be found in art collections and 8 various museums in Canada and the United States. Her strong connection to her culture and deepened sense of Haida identity is the creative force behind her Feastwear and Dorothy Grant labels.

In 1983 she began sketching Haida art onto clothing. As the idea developed, she was strongly motivated by non-native designers who were incorporating North West Coast native art into their clothing. She felt it was a poor representation of a beautiful art form. She decided to sharpen her design and art skills by attending the Helen Lefeaux School of Fashion Design in Vancouver BC, graduating in 1988.

In 1993 Dorothy Grant won the Best Professional Designer Award at the “Winds of Change” fashion competition held in Toronto. The event was sponsored by the Canada Council for Native Business. As part of the award, Dorothy traveled to France to take part in the Paris fall fashion event “Les Vendanges sur la Montaigne”. Her work was also featured at a special reception at the Canadian Embassy in Paris.

In 1994 Dorothy opened her first retail store in the prestigious Sinclair Centre in Vancouver, BC.

Milestones

Exibitions:

1988 Derek Simpkins Gallery of Tribal Art, Vancouver, BC
1989 National premiere of 55 piece collection, Hotel Vancouver
1990 Same collection shown in the Village of Skidegate, BC to her own people, with Haida elders and youth as models
1990 Haida Ritual Art: the Insistent Present, Merician Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1991 Panace - 200 years of the Fashionable Woman, Vancouver Museum
1991 Land, Spirit, Power – National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, ON
1993 Winds of change Award Show at Canadian Embassy, Paris France
1994 Sinclair Center , Dorothy Grant Boutique Opens, Vancouver BC
1995 National Museum of American Indian NYC, George Gustev Heye, Group show
1997 Treasures in the Sun, Canadian Native Arts Festival, Scottsdale AZ
1998 Seattle Art Museum, 1 year, solo display at Northwest Coast Gallery, Seattle Wa.
1999 Team Canada, Japan, select Business by Prime Minister’s office
2004 First American Art Festival, Grand Opening of Natl. Museum of American Indian
2004 Nexus Fashion Show, Aboriginal World Trade Conference, Vancouver BC
2005 Poeh Museum Grand opening, group designer fashion show, Santa Fe, NM
2005 Kellogg Foundation Fashion show with S. African and Native American designers, Santa fe
2005 Totems to Turquoise - Natural History Museum New York NY
2006 Raven Traveling Show, Group contemporary show and artifact Vancouver Art Gallery
   
Museum Collection
1990 Museum of Civilization, Hull, QC - Raven Takes the World
1990 Museum of Civilization, Hull, QC - Raven Creation Tunic & Hummingbird Copper Panel Dress - permanent collection
1991 Vancouver Museum, Vancouver, BC - Raven Cape
1992 Deyonge Museum, San Francisco, CA - Supernatural Frog Button Robe
1994 UBC Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver, BC - Raven Great Coat - permanent collection
1995 National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, ON - Seven Ravens Robes from Land, Spirit, Power
2000 Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA - Raven Great Coat - one year exhibition case, later purchased for their permanent collection
2001 Burke Museum, Seattle, WA - Shark Blanket - Dorothy’s personal dance blanket retired to the museum collection
2004 Seattle Art Commission, Seattle, WA - Seven Ravens commissioned for the Mayor’s office
2005 Natural History Museum NYC Raven Chilkat Robe, Purchase for collection.
2007 Liverpool World Museum UK, Raven Button Robe and 2 original Feastwear Items.
   
Awards and Accomplishments
1993 Winds of Change design competition - “Best Designer” award
1994 Dorothy Grant Boutique opened in downtown Vancouver, BC
1995 Cultural Wealth finale designer for Apparel BC Commonwealth Games, Vancouver, BC
1996 Smithsonian Museum auction - piece sold for the highest bid of $8300.00 USD, New York
1997 Honorary Doctorate of Law Degree from the University of Northern BC for business
1999 National Aboriginal Achievement Business Award, Regina, SK
2003 Asper Business Institute - “Business Woman of the Year” award, Winnipeg, MB
2004 Royal Canadian Academy prestigious award for the arts
2006 Best of the West fashion show at the BC House with 11 BC designers, Turin, Italy
2006 Raven Cape painted in portrait of Kim Campbell , House of Commons, Ottawa, ont.
2007 School of Advanced Research, Dobkin Fellowship, Santa Fe, NM