Carmen Thompson (Diitiidaht/Kyuquot/Coast Salish), is the costume designer for the opera Missing, which premièred in 2017 and will be remounted in 2019 for performances in Victoria, Regina, and Prince George.

A costume designer for more than 15 years, Carmen is known for her attention to detail and commitment to cultural authenticity. Her father, the late Art Thompson, a renowned First Nations carver and painter, inspired her to combine both her cultural background and technical training in her work.

She formed her own graphic and web design company in 1997, and in 2003 went to study at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise in LA and worked on more than 20 feature films. Among her many credits is the international TV series, 1491: The Untold Story of the Americas Before Columbus.

In 2010, she moved back to Canada, focusing on multi-media cultural projects, including a copper wall installation based on her father’s design, at the Vancity Credit Union in Victoria. Ms. Thomson’s Nuu-chah-nulth name ‘Tlaa’kwaa’ means copper, and it is particularly appropriate for an artist whose works are luminous, brilliant and culturally centred.