Louie Gong is Canadian artist, activist, and educator who was raised by his grandparents in the Nooksack tribal community. Although he is best known for his highly sought after, hand-drawn custom shoes, Louie has received international recognition for a body of work that - like his mixed heritage - defies categorization.

A former Child and Family Therapist, Louie started addressing the mixed race experience professionally in 2001. He went on to become President of MAVIN, a national non-profit that raises awareness about mixed race people and families, and co-developer of the Mixed Heritage Center. His commentary on race and cultural identity has been featured, in MSNBC.com, the New York Times, NBC Nightly News and BBC. He continues to serve on the Advisory Board of MAVIN and Mixed in Canada.

Louie is also the founder of Eighth Generation, through which he merges traditional Coast Salish art with icons from popular culture and influences from his mixed heritage to make strong stateme