30th Anniversary 1993 - 2023
Cedar Root Gallery was opened in 1993 by Mona Moreno of the Haida Nation. Please see picture below of Mona on left, her sister Ruby in middle, and Ginger on the right Haida Gwaii 1940. Mona decided that having a retail First Nations store inside the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre was important for the entire urban Indigenous community.
Mona tasked her daughter Tamara Bell to operate and manage the store. Tamara Bell is a natural born artist and she attended Langara College, Emily Carr School of Art and Design among many other prestigious art schools. Customers were thrilled with Tamara's creativity and custom made products that were reasonably priced. In addition, Tamara embodied social enterprise ensuring that products created and sold at Cedar Root Gallery were all authentically First Nations. Under Tamara's management, the mandate at Cedar Root Gallery was and continues to be by, for and about Indigenous artists. Our First Nations and non-Indigenous customers appreciate the authentic works of art and we are very proud to share our culture globally.
Tamara Bell managed Cedar Root Gallery for thirteen years until she passed the operation to her sister Nadia. Since then, Nadia and her Indigenous staff have been busy expanding our Northwest coast jewellery line along with our selection of Native medicines. Among other unique items, Cedar Root Gallery houses creative masks and plaques, a wide selection of scarf apparel and traditional Northwest Coast blankets. One of the most important aspects of Cedar Root Gallery is to offer our Northwest coast products at reasonable prices.
