Terrace, BC -- Coast Mountain College is proud to celebrate our 2026 President's Choice Award winner, Stone Sam, for their piece Small Beauty and our 2026 Honrouable Mention Award winner, Wenda Day, for her piece Moonlit Wolf Spirit. Stone and Wenda's pieces were on exhibit, along with works by fellow Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art students, at the Terrace Art Gallery from February 6 through 28. Following the run at the Terrace Art Gallery, the exhibit moved to the Kitimat Museum where it will be on display from March 7 through April 4, 2026.
Presidents Choice Award Winner - $2,500 Prize
Stone Sam
Title of Work: Small Beauty
ARTIST STATEMENT:
All good things must come to an end. The Luna Moth is a small yet beautiful creature whose life span is less than 10 meaningful days. These creatures are wonderers, flying through the dead of night salvaging for light, not unlike us humans. Both of us alike go through life searching for our purposes in even the most trying circumstances. These moths serve as a reminder that life is precious and finite and like everything in life, all good things must come to an end. Stop for a moment and take it all in. We take what we have for granted, we take and take and take… with no regard to our mother, until one day she takes back. Appreciate the privilege that it is to be alive.
Stone Sam, with the traditional name Manłida’as, is a Squamish and Kwakwaka’wakw artist from West Vancouver, BC. They’ve been interested in art all their life but it wasn’t until later that they started learning from their father Klatle-Bhi., whose art inspired them to create their own but also the storytelling behind each piece. With each piece they create, they want to challenge people’s imagination. Now they further their education as a first year student at the Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art.
Honourable Mention - $1,500 Prize
Wenda Day
Title of Work: Moonlit Wolf Spirit
ARTIST STATEMENT:
The wolf in my piece symbolizes strength, loyalty, and a strong spiritual connection to the natural world. The moon represents intuition, guidance, transformation and the recurring rhythms of life. This creation reflects how these elements come together to shape Identity and understanding of the nature and the unseen forces that guide us.
BIOGRAPHY:
Wenda Day is a member of the Chi’yone (Wolf) clan of the Tāłtān Nation in Northwestern British Columbia. She belongs to the Ts’imgalt’ede family. Wenda was born in Terrace, BC, and raised in the close-knit community of Tlegohin (Telegraph Creek). She is an emerging visual artist with aspirations to specialize in carving and painting using Northwest Coast form-line and design. Wenda is currently enrolled in her second year at Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art in Terrace, BC.
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Media Contact
Heather Bastin
Executive Director, External Relations
hbastin@coastmountaincollege.ca
250-635-6511 ext. 5494