From Toy Box to Art Gallery
New Brunswick teenager Henry Campbell had a vision most people wouldn't dare attempt: recreate one of Canada's most iconic pieces of Indigenous art — entirely out of Lego.
The Grade 11 student took on the challenge of replicating Bill Reid's famous Haida Dog Salmon — Skaagi print, a work steeped in the artistic traditions of the Haida Nation of the Pacific Northwest Coast. The result? A stunning piece now on display at the Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Centre in St. Andrews, N.B.
Who Was Bill Reid?
Bill Reid (1920–1998) is widely regarded as one of the most important Indigenous artists in Canadian history. Part Haida, Reid helped revive and elevate Haida art forms — from jewelry and sculpture to monumental carvings — introducing them to international audiences and earning deep respect both in Canada and abroad.
His work graces the Canadian $20 bill (the Spirit of Haida Gwaii canoe sculpture), and his legacy continues to shape conversations about Indigenous art, identity, and cultural reclamation across the country. Choosing Reid's work as inspiration wasn't a casual decision — it signals a young artist with a serious appreciation for Canadian cultural history.
Block by Block
Campbell spoke to CBC's The National about the moment the project came together. What started as a creative idea became a meticulous, painstaking process — translating the fluid lines and symbolic depth of Reid's print into the rigid geometry of Lego bricks.
The challenge with Lego is that it forces you to think in pixels. Every curve, every traditional Haida form element had to be approximated with flat, angular pieces — a constraint that makes the final product all the more impressive. The formline design style central to Northwest Coast Indigenous art, with its bold ovoids and U-forms, doesn't naturally lend itself to a medium built on right angles.
That Campbell pulled it off well enough to earn a gallery display speaks to both his technical patience and his genuine engagement with the source material.
On Display in St. Andrews
The finished piece found a home at Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Centre, a well-regarded community arts hub on the shores of Passamaquoddy Bay in St. Andrews. The centre has long supported emerging and established artists across the region, making it a fitting venue for a work that bridges youth creativity and Indigenous cultural heritage.
Why It Matters
Projects like Campbell's carry weight beyond the novelty of the medium. At a time when Canadian institutions are actively working to better recognize and celebrate Indigenous art and history — particularly in the wake of reconciliation conversations — a young non-Indigenous student choosing to honour Bill Reid's legacy through careful, respectful recreation is a small but meaningful gesture.
It's also a reminder that art education doesn't always happen in a classroom. Sometimes it happens brick by brick, with a teenager quietly doing the work of learning what came before.
Source: CBC Top Stories — The National
