Public Program

In Conversation: Catherine Blackburn with Tenille Campbell

Wednesday, November 3, 2021 | 7 pm – 8 pm

Register HERE

Moderated by Tenille Campbell with featured artist Catherine Blackburn. The artists will discuss their working relationship as well as Blackburn’s current exhibition at the AGW: New Age Warriors

In Conversation is sponsored by Windsor by Canada Steamship Lines.

Catherine Blackburn's practise is centred on contemporary interpretations of traditional forms. In New Age Warriors, she uses the framework of beading to explore cultural identity, memory, and history. Blackburn used Perler beads to create seven life-size warrior garments and language medallions. Each outfit is an amalgamation of elements based on traditional female clothing from different nations in Canada, which speaks to the diversity of Indigenous women. Although embedded floral and geometric designs are drawn from traditional imagery, the structure of the garments is futuristic to assert that Indigenous women's resiliency is their "new age armour." The plastic Perler beads are important in this regard. Due to North America's growing consumerism, there is an overabundance of plastic waste. By reinventing plastic through garment making, Blackburn comments on the relationship between Indigenous women and the land in terms of ingenuity and adaptation to the environment.​

To Participate: 
  • This is a free, virtual program.
  • Register for the Zoom webinar HERE. You will receive your Zoom link by email once registered. 
  • Accessibility: Automatic closed-caption will be available during the webinar. If you require ASL interpretation please contact Sophie Hinch at shinch@agw.ca to specify the name, date, time of the program/event you are needing ASL interpretation for before October 29, 2021. 
  • Attendees may submit questions for the artists in advance by email to shinch@agw.ca or when registering for the webinar. 
  • Questions? Please contact Sophie Hinch, Education and Public Programs Coordinator at shinch@agw.ca

 

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS 

Catherine Blackburn was born in Patuanak Saskatchewan, of Dene and European ancestry and is a member of the English River First Nation. She is a multidisciplinary artist and jeweller, whose common themes address Canada's colonial past that are often prompted by personal narratives. Her work merges mixed media and fashion to create dialogue between historical art forms and new interpretations of them. Through utilizing beadwork and other historical adornment techniques in her practice she explores Indigenous sovereignty, decolonization and representation. Her work has exhibited in notable national and international exhibitions and fashion runways including; BorderLINE: 2020 Biennial of Contemporary Art, Àbadakone: National Gallery of Canada, and Santa Fe Haute Couture Fashion Show, New Mexico.  She has received numerous grants and awards for her work, including the Saskatchewan RBC Emerging Artist Award, the Melissa Levin Emerging Artist Award, publications in Vogue and In Style magazines, 1/25 2019 Sobey Art Award longlist, and most recently, 1/5 selected for the prestigious Eitlejorg Contemporary Art Fellowship.

Tenille Campbell is a Dene/Métis author and photographer from English River First Nation, SK. She completed her MFA in Creative Writing from UBC and is enrolled in her PhD at the University of Saskatchewan. Her inaugural poetry book, #IndianLovePoems (Signature Editions, 2017) is an award-winning collection of poetry that focuses on Indigenous Erotica, using humour and storytelling to reclaim and explore ideas of Indigenous sexuality. She is also the artist behind sweetmoon photography and the co-creator of tea&bannock. She currently resides in Saskatoon.

 

New Age Warriors is curated by Jesse Campbell; Organized in partnership with the Dunlop Art Gallery, the Indigenous Peoples Artist Collective (Prince Albert), Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery, Art Gallery of Swift Current, and the Chapel Art Gallery.

Sponsored in Windsor by Canada Steamship Lines.

This project has been supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Saskatchewan Arts Board, Saskatchewan Arts Board‘s Culture on the Go Program, SaskCulture and Saskatchewan Lotteries.

This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada.
Ce projet a été rendu possible en partie grâce au gouvernement du Canada.