Cole Speck

Born in 1991, Cole Speck was raised on the Namgis reserve on the island of Alert Bay and has been carving since he was a teenager. Cole comes from strong cultural and artistic roots, which is evident in his carving. He is the great grandson of late Chief John Speck of the Tlowitsis, who was the father of the late Henry Speck Sr. Cole’s work has immense reverence for old traditions, while pushing into contemporary realms. Though he is a young carver, Cole has worked hard and has apprenticed under accomplished master carvers Beau Dick and Wayne Alfred. Since then, Cole has been consistently making his mark on the Northwest Coast art scene. In 2012, He was selected by Rande Cook to assist in the carving of a pole for a Northwest Coast exhibition in Holland. The next year, Cole participated in the Bill Reid Gallery’s exhibition “RezErect” and in 2014 he was featured in the Museum of Anthropology’s show “Claiming Space”.