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 jeweler, 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 the Santa Fe Haute Couture Fashion Show in 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, and her inclusion on the 2019 Sobey Art Award longlist. Most recently, she was one of five artists selected for the prestigious Eitlejorg Contemporary Art Fellowship.
The exhibition, on view in the Winter Garden Gallery at Brookfield Place from September 20 – November 15, features portraits by Daniella Zalcman that show Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian survivors of the US government’s Indian Boarding School system and parallel American institutions.
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