The Skeena River is the second-longest river entirely within British Columbia and has been an important transportation artery, particularly for the Tsimshian and the Gitxsan—whose names mean "inside the Skeena River" and "people of the Skeena River," respectively.

Since 2018, the SkeenaWild Conservation Trust, an advocacy and environmental conservation organization in Terrace have held an art festival celebrating Skeena salmon.

The Skeena Salmon Arts Festival's mission is to "raise awareness of salmon as the foundation of our cultures."

The festival began on Aug. 6 and ends on Aug. 28. Activities include three art shows (at the Smithers Art Gallery, Misty Rivers Gallery in Hazleton, and the Terrace Art Gallery), each towns and villages along the Skeena River.

The 2019 Skeena Salmon Art Festival generated five new murals, the Downtown Banner Art project, YXT public art sculpture, Millennium Pathway Salmon Migration project (youth painted salmon installed on fences), Terrace Art Gallery Exhibit which featured over 100 pieces of salmon art by over 70 different artists.

This year, muralists are creating three new pieces in Terrace and SkeenaWild is offering a number of free workshops for children and adults (called Pop Up Natural Science workshops).

If you want to learn more about the Skeena Salmon Art Festival, follow them on Facebook!