​​Like many Indigenous families, Everett’s elders lived through a period when Native art and language were actively suppressed. His grandfather was sent to boarding school and denied the chance to pass on the canoe-carving knowledge that had been in the family for centuries. Everett’s work is a direct response to that disruption. Through carvings, bentwood boxes, paddles, panels, and totem poles, he is reclaiming and renewing those traditions for the next generation.

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"Through my panels, paddles, bentwood boxes and prints I maintain a connection to my cultural roots. It's through this connection that I use my work to share our culture and to preserve our traditional arts for future generations."

– Everett Athorp

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Everett has studied with some of the most respected Northwest Coast artists, including Haida artist David Robertson, Tsimshian carver David Boxley and Tlingit carver Nathan Jackson, and continues to be recognized for his mastery of formline design and Haida carving. In 2014 and 2017 he received Individual Artist Awards from the Rasmuson Foundation to build his studio and to design and carve a traditional Haida canoe, part of a broader effort to revive large, ocean-going canoes once used for travel, trade, and war throughout the region.

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A lifelong fisherman and professional guide in Southeast Alaska, Everett’s art is deeply rooted in the waters, forests, and communities where he grew up. Whether he is carving a paddle, designing a panel, or working on a canoe, he sees each piece as both contemporary artwork and cultural teaching. When people admire his work or ask for a carving, he often invites them into the process—sharing tools, techniques, and stories so that Haida art remains a living, evolving tradition rather than a relic of the past.

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