–
Opening Reception: Friday, August 2, 6–8 p.m.
Free Artist Talk: Saturday, August 3, 3–4 p.m.
Free Farsi Tour: Saturday, August 24, 3:30 p.m.
The Ferry Building Gallery is thrilled to present "Touch of Culture: Spirit of the West Coast," an exhibition featuring the fashion of artist and designer Himikalas Pamela Baker. This exhibit will highlight her dresses and evening wear, showcasing one-of-a-kind pieces that narrate the historical journey of Himikalas as a fashion designer. Her innovative techniques, such as laser cutting and sublimation, create distinctive and captivating textile designs.
Visitors can also explore our shop area featuring Himikalas’ porcelain jewellery, leather earrings and bracelets, and ready-to-wear items such as scarves, ponchos, kimonos, and leather vessels. Himikalas Pamela Baker is the featured artist for the 2024 Harmony Arts Festival.
About the Artist
Artist. Entrepreneur. Fashion Designer. Squamish, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw / Kwakiutl, / Tlingit ancestry. Owner of Touch of Culture, TOC Legends House of Design.
Highly accomplished Indigenous Artist and Designer with 45 years of traditional knowledge and teachings of her family lineage. Himikalas is a successful entrepreneur and owner-operator of Touch of Culture, TOC Legends Designs. For the past 31 years, she has garnered extensive experience in fashion design, fashion show production, marketing, retailing, coaching, production, and delegation of an array of art projects, including the design of clothing and jewelry. Since the age of five, Himikalas has practiced her traditions and culture, and the traditional teachings are incorporated into all her designs and projects. It’s her lifelong commitment to continue to study and create work inspired by her ancestors.
After receiving a degree in fashion design and a BFA from Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles in 1998, she returned to Canada to share her skills, teach, and continue to mentor youth.
Himikalas has received many prestigious awards, including N.A.M.S.B (menswear), the Arthur Gilbert Award, the top award in Evening wear, the 2023 Industry Innovator Award, and Vancouver Fashion Week. She is presently a resident Designer at Kwantlen University, Wilson School of Design, and has received recognition as a renowned First Nations Fashion Designer. Himikalas was invited to be a residence artist at IAIA, New Mexico, in the fall of 2024.