Renowned Brazilian woodcarver Hugo França admitted to being just a tiny bit overwhelmed by the reception he received in Squamish last week.

At an event on Thursday (March 27) marking the kickoff for the town’s involvement in the two-year-long Vancouver Biennale arts initiative, a smiling França stood up in front of an overflow crowd at the Squamish Academy of Music to offer his thanks for the warm welcome on his first visit to Canada.