Collection: Cori Johnson
Cori Johnson is a Gitksan artist whose work bridges traditional Indigenous art with contemporary expression. Raised in the Gitksan territory (New Hazelton, British Columbia), Cori was deeply influenced by her grandmother, who gifted her traditional knowledge of plant use and medicine from the interior coastal regions of B.C.
Her creative journey began early, starting a tattoo apprenticeship at 17. She later pursued a career in environmental health by earning a diploma in Natural Resources and working as an environmental health technician since 2016. Her passion for art remained constant. Eventually, she returned to her artistic roots and began learning to carve alongside other artists in the Lheidli T’enneh territory (Prince George, B.C.).
Cori integrates her knowledge of the natural world into her art, harvesting devil’s club, birch bark and cedar bark to create hand crafted jewelry. Her designs are inspired by West Coast Indigenous traditional art of Northern BC. She is also a self-taught graphic designer, creating logos, posters, and promotional artwork for various organizations.
Her style is a distinctive blend of contemporary abstract forms and traditional Northwest Coast design. Cori explores the connections between ancestral knowledge and modern perspectives.
