Telkwa, British Columbia Best Trails in Telkwa, BC Six routes at the confluence of the Bulkley and Telkwa — distance, elevation gain and difficulty...
2 months ago
August 22, 2026
Adventure • Indigenous Culture
Cori Johnson: Gitxsan Artist & Designer
Where Ancestral Knowledge Meets Modern Expression
Gitxsan roots in New Hazelton • Based in Prince George, BC
Cori Johnson is a Gitxsan artist and designer whose work bridges traditional Indigenous art with contemporary expression. Raised in Gitxsan territory near New Hazelton, she was shaped early by her grandmother, who passed down traditional knowledge of plant use and medicine from the interior and coastal regions of British Columbia.
That grounding in the land runs through everything she makes — from wildcrafted jewellery harvested off Northern BC lands to bold graphic design, murals, and drum paintings. Her designs now feature on Xplore Smithers drinkware, bringing her artistic voice into the wider Bulkley Valley story.
Cori Johnson • Gitxsan Artist & Designer • Northern BC
The Artist
Cori Johnson — Gitxsan Nation
Cori Johnson has been making art for most of her life. Her creative journey began early, starting a tattoo apprenticeship at just 17. Alongside her art, she built a career in environmental health — earning a diploma in Natural Resources and working as an environmental health technician since 2016 — but her passion for creating never faded.
Eventually she returned to her artistic roots, learning to carve alongside other artists in Lheidli T'enneh territory (Prince George, BC). Today she weaves her knowledge of the natural world directly into her work, harvesting devil's club, birch bark, and cedar bark to create handcrafted jewellery inspired by the West Coast Indigenous traditional art of Northern BC.
A self-taught graphic designer, Cori is fluent across a range of design software, moving comfortably between digital and physical media. She creates logos, posters, and promotional artwork for organizations, and takes on commissioned pieces spanning murals, drum paintings, and wall paintings. Her style is a distinctive blend of contemporary abstract forms and traditional Northwest Coast design — deliberately flexible, and always evolving.
Cori explores the connections between ancestral knowledge and modern perspectives, and dedicates herself to healing through art and culture. Her designs now feature on a range of Xplore Smithers drinkware.
A Multidisciplinary Practice
From the Land to the Canvas
Traditional knowledge meets contemporary design
Wildcrafted Jewellery
Handcrafted pieces made from devil's club, birch bark, and cedar bark harvested off Northern BC lands.
Graphic Design
Self-taught digital design — logos, posters, and promotional artwork for organizations across the region.
Painting & Murals
Commissioned murals, drum paintings, and wall work blending abstract form with Northwest Coast tradition.
More Than Art
Healing Through Art & Culture
For Cori, art is never separate from the land or the teachings that shaped her. Her grandmother's knowledge of plant use and medicine still guides how she gathers, makes, and creates — connecting each piece back to Gitxsan territory and the natural world of Northern BC.
Why This Matters
When you carry one of Cori's designs, you carry more than an image — you carry a living link between ancestral knowledge and modern expression, made by an artist devoted to healing through culture.
Living Heritage
Cori keeps these traditions alive and moving forward by:
- Harvesting natural materials the traditional way, off the land of Northern BC
- Carrying Northwest Coast design language into contemporary, abstract work
- Creating art and design that supports community, identity, and healing
It's not just about preserving the past — it's about carrying ancestral knowledge into new forms, and sharing her artistic voice with the wider world.
Wear the Work
Drinkware Design by Cori Johnson
Original designs by Cori Johnson, made for the trail and the everyday
Get in Touch
Connect with Cori Johnson
About the Artist
Based In
Prince George, BC
Gitxsan roots — New Hazelton, BC
Canada
Gitxsan roots — New Hazelton, BC
Canada
Commissions
Available for logo design, murals, drum paintings, and wall paintings. Email Cori for inquiries.
Carry the Designs With You
Browse the drinkware designed by Cori Johnson, or connect with Cori for custom designs, murals, and commissioned work.
