Bill Reid was born in 1920 in British Columbia. His mother was Haida and his father was of European descent. Except for a brief stint in Toronto where he worked as a broadcaster for CBC, Reid spent most of his life in BC. His work as an artist was seminal to the revival of West Coast native art production. Reid died in 1998. His legacy includes wood carving, bronze casting, goldsmithing, and printmaking. "In a long career, he embraced many art forms, driven always by a passion to create the "well made object. This passion, combined with a gradual discovery of his rich Haida cultural heritage, informed and inspired his development as a visual artist.."(excerpt from Bill Reid Foundation pamphlet).