John Livingston was a non-Indigenous carver who was adopted into the Hunt fam-ily of Kwakwaka’wakw artists. Working early in their careers with some of the most renowned Northwest Coast artists, Livingston was a highly accomplished art-ist in his own right who is remembered for being generous with his knowledge and skills and always being respectful of Indigenous cultures and protocols. As noted in the Museum of Anthropology at UBC’s biography on Livingston, “In partnership with Tony Hunt, Livingston opened the Arts of the Raven in 1969, which was a major force in Northwest Coast art for over 20 years.” [1]

This red cedar mask depicts a man with a mustache, mouth agape, with a fierce stare accentuated by an outline of red paint inside of the eyelids. Like many of Livingston’s masks, this evocative portrait captures an intense emotion that tells a story to its observer. In carving this mask, Livingston sparingly used red and black paints to highlight the features of the face while maximizing the impact of the prominent red cedar grain. The mustache was created by tacking animal fur above the mouth, although the original goatee on the chin is missing. This is an easy fix if the new owner wished to replace it.

1. John Livingston biography. UBC Museum of Anthropology. https://www.rrncommunity.org/people/3577. Accessed 28 Jan 2025.