Haida artist and master carver Robert Davidson this week scooped a coveted Governor General’s award in visual and media arts.

He was commended especially for helping a new generation of First Nations people reconnect with their culture.

Davidson, who studied at Point Grey Secondary School and the Vancouver College of Art, and apprenticed with Bill Reid, raised the first totem pole in this century in Massett, Haida Gwaii, in 1969. His work sits in public collections from the Vancouver Art Gallery to the National Gallery of Canada.

See video footage of Davidson talking about his work and view his sculptures and carvings at the Canada Council site.

Other winners recognized for artistic achievement across the country were filmmaker André Forcier, painter Rita Letendre, video artist Tom Sherman, photographer Gabor Szilasi, and painter Claude Tousignant.