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The Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art in downtown Vancouver is a public gallery dedicated to the contemporary and traditional art of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest, named in honour of Bill Reid, the renowned Haida artist whose work did much to bring the carving, jewellery and sculpture of the coastal nations to wide attention in the twentieth century. Opened in 2008, the gallery is the only public space in the country devoted specifically to this art, and it holds a collection of Reid's own work in gold, silver, bronze and wood alongside pieces by other Indigenous artists, presenting both the deep traditions of the region and their living continuation by contemporary makers. Bill Reid, of Haida and Scottish-American descent, trained as a jeweller before turning to the monumental sculpture for which he became famous, and his mastery of the formline designs and crest figures of Haida art, the raven, the bear, the eagle, the killer whale and the mythic beings of the stories, helped spark a renaissance of Northwest Coast art; among the treasures on display is a long carved and painted frieze and works in precious metal of great refinement. Beyond its permanent holdings the gallery mounts changing exhibitions, runs talks and demonstrations, and provides a platform for emerging Indigenous artists, set within an intimate two-storey space. For visitors seeking to understand the art and culture of the First Nations of the coast, the gallery offers a focused and rewarding introduction in the heart of the city. The gallery carries forward the legacy of an artist whose influence on the wider appreciation of Northwest Coast art was profound, for Bill Reid not only created works of great beauty but also studied, taught and championed the formal language of Haida design at a time when these traditions were under threat. Visitors encounter his mastery in pieces ranging from finely worked gold and silver jewellery to larger sculptures in wood and bronze, while works by other artists show how the traditions he helped revive continue to evolve. The art of the coast is governed by a sophisticated system of design built from ovoid and U-shaped formline elements, and the recurring crest beings, the raven who brought light to the world, the bear, the eagle and the killer whale, carry deep meaning within the cultures of the coastal nations, all of which the gallery helps visitors to understand. Changing exhibitions, artist talks and carving demonstrations bring the living culture into the space, and the intimate scale of the two-storey gallery makes for an unhurried and rewarding visit in the heart of downtown Vancouver.