08/17/2026
We would like to pass our condolences along to the friends and family of Eugene (Gino) Seward. We have had the honour of hosting some Gino's carvings in both our museum and visitor centre. Even more special, we had the deep honour of hosting Gino's wedding to his love, back in 2024.*
In memory of Gino, we would like to share the following, which was written after an interview we did with him earlier this year:
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Eugene Herbert Seward, also known as Gino, was a Snuneymuxw and Dzawada’enuxw artist based on Northern Vancouver Island.
Eugene carved for most of his life, coming from a long line of carvers and artists. He first learned to carve from his grandfather, William Robertson, at the age of 5.
In an interview with the museum he recalled, "I started at five, then I cut myself. My grandfather said no more, we will wait, and then I started at 10 years old. It’s been almost 44 years now."
Eugene worked in both wood carving and jewellery making. He primarily worked with wood, carving spruce, yellow cedar, and sometimes red cedar. Eugene is well known for his deeply carved, beautifully stained wooden plaques that often depict orcas, bears, eagles, and thunderbirds.
It was when he was working with his cousin, Jackson Robertson, that he really began developing his own skill and style. Eugene shared with us that “I got so good that my cousin Jackson used to hire me to help him do orders. He used to get orders from anywhere from 60 to 100 plaques. We would be up all night carving. It was fun. I love carving with him.”
Eugene took his practice across the island, carving by the waterfront in Victoria and Nanaimo. Eugene’s art practice was thoroughly integrated into his everyday life. The love and passion in his work are evident and his work has travelled all over the world.
Gino believed “You should keep carving because it's your heritage. It was passed onto me from my grandfather, and I learned from my uncles, the last one was my cousin Jackson.” Drawing on this tradition, Eugene taught many young carvers and had hoped to pass on the skill to his grandkids one day.
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*We would like to pass our photos of Gino's wedding along to family. Please reach out if you can help.
