A Meaningful Art Reveal at the BBOT Office

Last week, the Burnaby Board of Trade welcomed guests to our office to mark the unveiling of two significant Indigenous artworks now on display. Generously loaned to the BBOT by McCarthy Properties, these pieces reflect values of strength, connection, stewardship, and renewal that strongly align with who we are and the role we play within Burnaby’s business community.

The artworks were created by Master Carvers Gerry Sheena and Jimmy Joseph, whose work carries deep cultural meaning and craftsmanship. We are honoured to share space with these pieces and grateful to the artists and partners who joined us for the reveal, taking time to learn, reflect, and connect with the stories behind the carvings.

Featured Works & Symbolism

“The Salish and Great Bear Seas Shall Sustain Us…”
(Home of the Orca–Salmon–Octopus)
Carved on western red cedar
Created in 2025 in Burnaby, BC
By Interior Salish Master Carver Gerry Sheena

This collection speaks to the interconnected systems that sustain both land and community. The orca symbolizes strength, longevity, family, good fortune, and wisdom. The salmon represents sustenance, abundance, prosperity, self-sacrifice, and regeneration. The octopus reflects wealth, adaptability, flexibility, and intelligence. Together, these figures convey balance, resilience, and responsibility to one another and the environment

“Man, Salmon, Orca, Moon Mask”
Carved on western red and yellow cedar
Created in 2020 in Burnaby, BC
By Kwakiutl Master Carver Jimmy Joseph

This mask brings together symbols of guidance, continuity, and protection. The moon represents tranquility, guidance, protection, and transformation. The salmon signifies sustenance, abundance, prosperity, self-sacrifice, and regeneration, while the orca symbolizes strength, longevity, family, good fortune, and wisdom. The piece reflects the enduring relationship between people, nature, and the cycles that shape both.

McCarthy Properties has loaned these works to the Burnaby Board of Trade based on what they represent and how they see the BBOT within the community. This reflects the work we do, the values we uphold, and the role we play in bringing people together.

About the Artists

Gerry Sheena

A contemporary Coast Salish artist from the Interior Salish Nation, born in Merritt, British Columbia, in 1964. He is known for his ceremonial masks, rattles, and totem poles and for incorporating modern painting techniques and innovative use of colour and design into his traditional Salish carving style. He is also recognized for his public art installations and his work mentoring youth.

Artist Statement
“I am Gerry Sheena, a Salish carver from the Lower Nicola Band, Merritt, B.C. While I have studied Fine Arts at both Langara College and Emily Carr University of Art and Design, I am largely self-taught as a carver and have practiced my craft for over 30 years. My medium of choice is wood. Large projects especially interest me. I have greatly enjoyed working with William McCarthy on several projects over many years. He has challenged me, and I have challenged myself to produce these works. These three panels are very special and powerful. I am pleased they will be shown as one.”

Jimmy Joseph

One of the most respected and prolific First Nations carvers in Canada. Born in Alert Bay, British Columbia, in 1957, Jimmy learned to carve by watching elders and members of his family use their homemade tools to create wood masterpieces. Jimmy is a fourth-generation carver, and he has been carving professional for now over 40 years.

He is a member of the Kwakwaka’wakw Nation, and his heritage is often reflected in his work. Jimmy is a member of the Thunderbird Clan, and this is also reflected in his design and works. Jimmy lives a traditional lifestyle, including hunting, fishing, attending Potlatches, and always creating. His work is widely collected and is among the most distinctive of any First Nation’s artist.

When Jimmy creates and carves, he is telling stories, and he is connecting with his ancestors. He is most noted for his use of colour, detail, and the placement of abalone shell on his carvings. The dark blue on a Jimmy Joseph mask of carving reflects the sea creatures. The green reflects land creatures, and light blue represents the spirit world. “I want people to think and learn when they look at my work. Every piece tells a story, and I hope that it connects the person viewing it with the symbolism on the work and how it connects back to my heritage and ancestors.” I am happy when I work and I am happy that people appreciate me creations.

Artist Statement
“I am very proud to work on large and challenging projects, which highlight the skills I have acquired over these many years. Together with my wife Rose we then love to paint our work in our very distinct ‘Jimmy Joseph style.’ I always like working with William McCarthy who appreciates our craft. This mask was carved in my current home of Burnaby. I am very pleased it will be proudly hung next in the Burnaby Board of Trade.”