Louie Gong is a Native of mixed heritage (Nooksack, Squamish, Chinese, French, Scottish) who was raised by his grandparents, father, and step-mom both in Ruskin, B.C. and in the Nooksack tribal community. He is totally overwhelmed by recent media recognition of his artwork (Indian Country Today) and activism (MSNBC and NBC Nightly News)on behalf of people who walk in multiple worlds. “UNRESERVED: the work of Louie Gong,” a short film that documents Louie’s unique style of merging art and activism is currently screening at prestigious film festivals around the world, including Festival De Cannes and National Geographic’s All Roads Film Festival.

Since graduating from Western Washington University’s School Counseling program in 1999, he has worked as a teacher, child and family therapist, and counseling program coordinator. In all these roles, and in his current position as Education Resource Coordinator for Muckleshoot Tribal College, Louie’s work reflects the need to recognize the dynamic realities of modern life while maintaining a strong cultural identity. This value is also interwoven into his work as adjunct faculty for Evergreen State College, where he teaches classes such a “The Native American Higher Education Experience” and “Mixed Heritage: Thinking outside the box about tribal communities.”
 
Louie is also a veteran of the nonprofit hustle, and he currently serves as President of the MAVIN Foundation, one of the nation’s leading institutional advocates for mixed heritage people and families. In his work with the MAVIN Foundation, Louie is co-developer of the Mixed Heritage Center, the largest online resource for mixed heritage people and families in the nation, and the guy who kicked off “What are YouTube?,” an online challenge to people of mixed heritage to reclaim the question “What are you?”  His commentary on issues related to the racial identity has appeared in dozens of major news media, including the MSNBC.com, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Education Week and many others.

Louie discovered the power of art to express ideas when he effectively used crude but well placed graffiti as a tool for wooing a girl. Around the same time, he started seriously exploring Coast Salish art by painting drums in preparation for the 2006 Canoe Journey.  From that point forward, he started seeing the world in crescents, ovals, and formlines.

In 2009 he found his groove as an artist when – on a whim – he took a sharpie to a pair of Vans.  The resulting merger of Coast Salish art and a pop culture icon like Vans was the perfect statement to represent his complex cultural identity.  When many other folks also recognized the message carried by the shoes, Louie realized he had stumbled upon a new way to spark dialogue about identity. While many are drawn to his shoes because they represent the confluence of multiple worlds, others simply appreciate Coast Salish art or the shoes’ freshness and originality.  Either way, Louie feels honored that people are finding value in something he loves to do.

Louie is also a frequent speaker at conferences and community events.

08/04/08   National Institute of Native Leadership in Higher Education
09/08/08   Antioch University
10/06/08   National Urban Indian Family Coalition
10/23/08   National Indian Education Association
11/12/08   University of Washington School of Education
12/05/08   Kitsap County Council for Human Rights
12/19/08   Muckleshoot Tribal College
01/16/09   Muckleshoot Tribal College
01/30/09   Muckleshoot Tribal College
02/14/09   Western Washington Native American Education Consortium Conference
03/07/09   Washington Education Association
04/01/09   (Break to work on Native Cases Project)
06/11/09   North Kitsap Opportunity Conference, Keynote
06/03/09   Native America Calling, Nationally Syndicated Radio
07/23/09   2009 National Tribal TANF Institute, Keynote
08/23/09   CBC Radio, British Columbia
08/03/09   KJMQ Radio, Quebec
11/04/09   3 Day Art Exhibit begins at the American Indian Film Festival
11/30/09   Seattle Central Community College
12/02/09   Kent School District, Custom Shoe Workshop
01/16/10   KUOW Presents, Walking in Two Worlds with Louie Gong
02/14/10   Aboriginal Fashion Showcase at 2010 Olympic Games, Featured Artist
02/17/10   Kent School District, Custom Shoe Workshop
04/03/10   Evergreen State College- “Art and Identity,” a series of 4 workshops
04/10/10   16th Annual AIBL National Business & Leadership Conference, Keynote
04/26/10   Native America Calling, nationally syndicated radio program
05/06/10   Highline Community College API Month
05/06/10   Bellevue Art Musuem, Artist’s Talk Series
05/22/10   Western Washington University, Keynote
06/05/10   Haskell Indian Nations University- 2nd annual Summer Youth Leadership Challenge
06/09/10   United Indians of All Tribes, Native Youth Healing Circle
06/15/10   CFNR Classic Rock, British Columbia
06/22/10   CJMQ Radio, Quebec
07/03/10   Cultural Teaching Institute, Featured Presenter
07/26/10   Native Youth Enrichment Program, Customs Workshop and Presentation
07/27/10   World Affairs Council, Custom Shoe Workshop for Iraqi youth at Jones Soda headquarters
08/03/10   Federated Band of Graton Rancheria, Customs Workshop and Presentation
10/08/10   National Indian Education Association, Keynote
11/07/10   National Critical Mixed Race Studies Conference, Keynote