Susan A. Point

Susan Point was born in 1952 in Alert Bay, British Columbia but was raised on the Musqueam First Nation Reservation in Vancouver, B.C. She is a Coast Salish artist of international renown.

Point began her art career in 1981 with engravings on bracelets, rings, pendants, earrings and barrens. Although many of her contemporaries were producing designs that were representative of more northern native groups, she chose to concentrate on the designs of her own people. Consulting with her uncle, Professor Michael Kew, an anthropologist at the University of British Columbia, Point began to investigate traditional Coast Salish art forms. One of the forms that intrigued her was the spindle whorl, a wooden disk, elaborately carved, which was used in the spinning of wool.

In the 1990's, the artist began creating three-dimensional art in materials such as glass, bronze, wood, concrete, polymer, stainless steel, and cast iron. Due to her willingness to explore new media and work on a large scale, Point has been awarded many public art commissions, including building facades and large sculptures.