Love Me

Cathy High wanted to use the exterior wall to bring some love and playfulness into people’s lives. “I hope people can appreciate the timeless quality of First Nations’ art and take an interest in what inspired the original totem pole to be carved,” High says, referencing the image of the Kakaso’Las totem pole carved by Ellen Neel for Woodward’s in 1955 (now displayed in Stanley Park). “I was drawn to the prominence of women in Indigenous art; this image is of a Dzunukwa, the Wild Woman of the Woods. The original painting is called Kiss and I wanted it to be an expression of how I saw those legendary creatures on the totem poles.” - Cathy High