Jay Simeon

Jay Simeon was born in 1976 in Fort McLeod, Alberta. His mother is Blackfoot and his father is Haida from the now-abandoned village of Kiusta, he is of the Kaawaas branch of the Sdast’a.aas Eagle clan. Simeon spent his early childhood with his mother in Alberta, before moving to Vancouver with his father.

Simeon apprenticed under his aunt, Haida Artist Sharon Hitchcock when he was fourteen and learned jewellery-making with Dwayne Simeon. He continued studying Northwest Coast design through books and visits to museums.

Simeon's excellence in design has been applied to different materials, producing serigraphs, sculpture, masks and panels. He is an accomplished carver in multiple scales and mediums and it is in his jewellery that he has established himself at the forefront of Northwest Coast design. His work in gold, silver, bone and argillite incorporate a variety of techniques in order to create some of the most intricate and beautifully carved jewelry in the Northwest Coast art world. His care for detail, coupled with a strong ability for design, makes his among the best and most exciting work of his generation.