Ken Kirkby Legacy Challenge
A legacy at Kus-kus-sum for this warrior painter
Genesis
In 2018, Ken Kirby became involved with Project Watershed and the Kus-kus-sum Project and contributed right up to his death on June 20, 2023.
While donating 50 of his most prized paintings prior to his passing, Ken expressed his deep appreciation for our partnerships with Indigenous nations and restoration of salmon habitat. It was his hope that his act of generosity would spark more than just an event and initiate the outpouring of donations towards work on fronts so important to his heart.
So, with his partner Nana Cook’s blessing, we are introducing the Ken Kirkby Legacy Challenge.
Genesis
In 2018, Ken Kirby became involved with Project Watershed and the Kus-kus-sum Project and contributed right up to his death on June 20, 2023.
While donating 50 of his most prized paintings prior to his passing, Ken expressed his deep appreciation for our restoration of salmon habitat and partnerships with Indigenous nations. It was his hope that his act of generosity would spark an outpouring of donations towards our organization, in support of issues Ken spent his life fighting for.
So, with his partner Nana Cook’s blessing, we are introducing the Ken Kirkby Legacy Challenge.
The Challenge
Over the years Ken has donated around $300,000 of his work to support Project Watershed’s fundraising. We challenge you to take a feather out of his hat and match this generosity. It is our goal to raise an additional $80,000 in Ken’s name to support our restoration, research and education work. Once we have reached our goal, we will commemorate his legacy by planting a Sitka Spruce grove in his name on the Kus-kus-sum property and creating a salmon for the fence alongside it.
The Challenge
Over the years Ken has donated around $300,000 of his work to support Project Watershed’s fundraising. We challenge you to take a feather out of his hat and match this generosity. It is our goal to raise an $80,000 in Ken’s name to support our restoration, research and education work. Once we have reached our goal, we will commemorate his legacy by planting a Sitka Spruce grove in his name on the Kus-kus-sum property and creating a salmon for the fence alongside it.
“We are all in this together and with our hearts and minds in the right place, we are unstoppable”.
Funds Raised
Contribute to Ken's Legacy
You have multiple ways to be a part of Ken’s Legacy.
Funds Raised
“My life has been with the Indigenous people; they are the finest humans I have ever met …. we have to stop the them and us, in this boat here, believe me, there is no them, there is just us.”
About Ken
Though Ken Kirkby passed away in 2023, he remains a force to be reckoned with. He is a world-renowned painter whose eventful life has been captured in a variety of books such as Ken Kirkby: A Painters Quest For Canada, Ken Kirkby: Warrior Painter and Ken Kirkby. He was a high-spirited individual who earned the title warrior painter by donating 80% of his income and much of this life to social and environmental improvement.
Always a colorful character, he had a knack for finding a way to get decisionmakers and funders onside with initiatives that were close to his heart. After many years spent living in the north of Canada and forming close ties to the Indigenous people who lived there, Ken became an advocate of northern Indigenous rights. He spoke passionately about their rights and recognition and painted up a storm in solidarity with their cause; actions that helped create Nunavut and increased government support for Northern Canada.
When he moved to Vancouver Island, he became a warrior painter for Nile Creek. Through his involvement and the work of many others, the creek returned from near extinction to a healthy functioning salmon stream.
Join Ken in supporting ecological restoration, research and education on Vancouver Island.