Each year, UNYA celebrates the creativity and resilience of Indigenous youth by selecting one emerging artist from our Overly Creative Minds (OCM) Program to design and create a handcrafted Youth Bentwood Box. This extraordinary art piece becomes the heart of this annual fundraising campaign—raising vital support for programs that uplift Indigenous youth across Metro Vancouver.

More than a work of art, the Youth Box is a powerful expression of culture, identity, and possibility. It reflects the voice of the youth artist behind it, and the thousands of Indigenous youth who find connection, belonging, and opportunity at UNYA every year.

One of the most meaningful moments of the Bentwood Box Charity Event is the unveiling of the Youth Box—an eagerly anticipated highlight that showcases the talent, vision, and lived experience of the youth who create it. In many ways, the Youth Box stands as a reminder of the strength, creativity, and future leadership held within our community’s youth.

This year’s Youth Box artist is Marisa Law, an Upper Sməlq’míx and Settler youth from East Vancouver—and one of the 4,333 Indigenous youth UNYA directly supports each year.

Growing up in the city, Marisa found connection, community, and cultural grounding at UNYA—spaces where she could meet other Indigenous youth, explore her artistry, and learn more about her roots.

A multidisciplinary artist, Marisa creates pieces inspired by culture, land, and belonging—each infused with intention, vision, and resilience.

Marisa’s Bentwood Box will be on display at UNYA’s annual Holiday Craft Fair on November 27, 2:30–6:30 PM—we’d love for you to come see her artwork in person!

Marisa’s Story,
Carved in Cedar

Her Youth Box, titled limtmn yaʔt aʔ nxʷəlxʷaltan̓ (“I am thankful for all that gives us life”), is a tribute to gratitude, land-based memory, and the joy of being in community.

“The inspiration for this piece comes from time spent picking berries, seeing animal prints on the ground, laughter, weaving mxiɬp (cedar), and looking at the beautiful məkʷiwt (mountain peaks) and valleys,” Marisa shares.
“Creating this box felt like being back in community on a warm summer day—the smell of sʔatqwɬpa (ponderosa pines) in the breeze and the sound of the river flowing nearby.”

The box features:

Red ochre and pictograph motifs inspired by Syilx communities, echoing the markings found on rock shelter walls across the Okanagan.

Coyote fur trim, honouring captíkʷɬ (creation stories) that teach us how to walk gently and intentionally through this world—caring for all that gives us life.

Her work is a story of culture, memory, and gratitude—brought to life through the hands of a young artist with a powerful voice.