John Livingston was a non-Indigenous artist closely associated with the Hunt family of Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw carvers. According to his Museum of Anthropology at UBC (MOA) biography, he learned from Henry and Tony Hunt in the 1970s and worked on major commissions with leading Indigenous artists, including Calvin Hunt, Don Yeomans, and Robert Davidson. [1] In 1969, Livingston and Tony Hunt opened Arts of the Raven, a major force in Northwest Coast art for over 20 years. [2] Livingston was also a noted restorer and collector, and much of his silver jewelry and spoon collection is now held in the MOA collection.

In addition to his primary focus on Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw styles, Livingston was also a master of Northern Northwest Coast-style formline. This study of a historic bentwood box design, perhaps Tsimshian or Haisla, illustrates his skill and command of Northern two-dimensional design lexicons. There is an impression of this print in the Legacy Art Galleries Collection (U990.14.1205) at the University of Victoria on Vancouver Island, BC. [3]