Dwayne Simeon (Kwak'waka'wakw) was born in Campbell River in 1960. He began experimenting with carving as a teenager. In his twenties, Dwayne apprenticed under Kwakwaka'wakw artist Tony Hunt and adopted Kwakwaka'wakw artist John Livingstone. He was inspired to work as a professional artist by Sam Henderson at Campbell River, BC. In 1981, Dwayne learned jewellery-making at the Vancouver Vocational Institute and silkscreen production with Philip Oppenheimer at the Vancouver Indian Centre. Carving wood is still Dwayne's focus, and he performed a demonstration of his carving techniques at Expo ’86 for the Folk Life Programs. He was a guest lecturer on Native American aesthetics at Muhlenberg University in Pennsylvania in April of 1987.
