This tour runs September 9 - December 30, 2023 at Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre, 401 1 St SE, Medicine Hat, AB
Curated by Jesse Campbell
Originating at Mann Art Gallery
Circulated by Dunlop Art Gallery
Catherine Blackburn’s work explores loss, language, and survival through the medium of beadwork. While these themes continue to flow through this exhibition, Blackburn’s New Age Warriors expands conversations around love and perseverance. Combining regalia designed from plastic beads with photographs of Indigenous women wearing her creations, Blackburn considers Indigenous futures, storytelling and kinship, drawing from traditions of the past and the culture of the present to celebrate the strength of Indigenous women.
Catherine Blackburn was born in Patuanak, SK. She is 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 has been shown internationally, from galleries to fashion runways. She has received numerous grants and awards for her work, including a Governor General History Award, the Saskatchewan RBC Emerging Artist Award, and the Melissa Levin Emerging Artist Award. In 2019, she was longlisted for the prestigious Sobey Art Award. She is affiliated with the Alcheringa Gallery in Victoria, BC; the Mann Art Gallery in Prince Albert, SK; the Remai Modern in Saskatoon SK; Slate Gallery in Regina SK, and the BYellowtail Collective in Los Angeles, CA.
Catherine Blackburn, The Waterhen Weaver, 2018. Photo by Tenille Campbell, Sweetmoon Photography.
Used for any event not located in a RPL branch.