The Museum of Anthropology at UBC (MOA) presents the world premiere of I Use My Haida Eyes: The History Robes of Jut-ke-Nay–Hazel Wilson, on display in the Audain Gallery from May 14 to October 12.
MOA Curator, Pacific Northwest + Contemporary Indigenous Art 
–Jordan Wilson (no relation to the artist) curates the exhibition featuring an epic collection of 50 “history robes” by Jut-ke-Nay–Hazel Wilson (1941–2016), a Haida artist who dedicated her life to Haida cultural and artistic work. Hazel Wilson created this series of robes, between 2005-2006, documenting specific episodes of Haida history from a Haida perspective–including narratives of her Haida ancestors, settler colonial acts of oppression, as well as Hazel’s memories of her childhood, gathering and harvesting on the Haida Gwaii landscape.
Drawing on the distinctive form and techniques of traditional “button blankets” of the Northwest Coast—robes typically adorned with an individual’s family or clan crests—Hazel Wilson’s works are a radical departure in terms of their representational quality, bringing her practice into the realm of history painting and folk art. The history robes index the innovative ways in which Haida and Indigenous artists continuously expand on traditional forms to speak to a changing world.
“I was filled with wonder when I first encountered Hazel’s series of history robes, as they pull you into Hazel’s world, and are innovative and unexpected in their form. They have an intimate and moving quality, while being far-reaching in their historical depth,” says exhibition curator –Jordan Wilson. “Twenty years after its creation, this body of work continues to resonate, particularly in depicting a Canadian colonial history whose legacies Indigenous peoples and settlers alike have inherited. The series also portrays the Haida peoples’ deep and ongoing connection to their territory. In bringing together this full series for the first time, this exhibition opens up a larger conversation about Indigenous values and environmental stewardship within our capitalist society’s extractive approach to land and resources.”
While Hazel Wilson’s series of history robes have been displayed in various iterations—and was the focus of a 2022 book Glory and Exile: Haida History Robes of Jut-ke-Nay Hazel Wilson, published by Figure 1 Press and the Haida Gwaii Museum—this is the first time that the entire collection of robes, but one, will be on display at the same time.
Photo by Rachel Topham.
The artist’s handwritten text accompanies each rode, imparting the historic episode being portrayed. Narratives range from a “pre-contact” period depicting stories of Haida ancestors, to the first contact with European explorers, to Hazel Wilson’s own childhood experiences in the 1940s and 1950s. Some noteworthy history robes include: Guidance, which portrays the definitive moment where Hazel is informed by her Elders that she will bear the responsibility of carrying forward Haida culture and history through the making of button blankets; The Mistake, depicting the moment of the Haida’s first encounter with European explorers, who brought with them diseases that had devastating impacts; All the Nations Came Together (Putting Away the Magic), where Haida and Indigenous women put away their ‘magic’ for safekeeping from settlers; and Tiiyaan, depicting a tranquil night-time scene of Wilson’s ancestral village.
Supported by her family, including two of her daughters, Dana and Avis Simeon, who helped Hazel source materials, scouring thrift stores for the right beads and fabrics. Dana, a button blanket maker, and Avis, a prolific beadworker, are both involved as advisors on this exhibition, and helped inform the exhibition’s representation of their mother.
I Use My Haida Eyes: The History Robes of Jut-ke-Nay–Hazel Wilson is on display from May 14 to October 12, 2026 at Museum of Anthropology at UBC, 6393 NW Marine Drive. Celebrate the exhibition’s opening night with free museum admission Thursday, May 14, 2026 from 6pm to 9pm.
To learn more about the exhibition, and other ancillary events, visit moa.ubc.ca