Rande Cook

Chief Rande Cook (K'alapa) was born May 1977 in culture-rich Alert Bay, a small village on the northern tip of Vancouver Island. His cultural heritage includes N'amgis, Ma'amtagila and Mamalilikala tribes. Surrounded by the beauty of land and art, Rande found the passion of creativity at an early age. With the strong teachings from his grandparents Gus and Florence Matilpi Rande learned the strong values of life and culture. In 2008 Rande inherited his grandfathers chieftainship and now carries the name Makwala, which means moon. Rande is very involved in his culture and has hosted a Potlatch and two feasts for his family and community. Rande is also known for his traditional dancing and singing in Potlatches.

Rande has worked with many great mentors such as John Livingston for his mastery in wood sculpting, Robert Davidson in metal work, Calvin Hunt for his amazing craftsmanship in wood and most recently repousse and chasing master Valentin Yotkov. In 2017 he participated in two glass residencies at the Pilchuck Glass School (Stanwood, WA) and the Museum of Glass (Tacoma, WA) and has begun to incorporate glass into his multimedia works.

Rande pushes himself in all his mediums looking for perfection of each technique. His grandfather taught him the essential elements of Kwakwaka'wakw design and impressed upon him how the art can connect him to his culture. Rande learned that by creating art he is helping to maintain and preserve a flourishing culture. Since moving to Victoria in 1996 he has been influenced by the works of Don Yeomans (Haida) and John Livingston (Adopted Kwakwaka'wakw). Rande was also fortunate to spend time with Bruce Alfred from whom he learned to bend traditional boxes. Since January 2002, Rande has been apprenticing under John Livingston.

Submitted by Stonington Gallery