LibGuides: Indigenous Resources: Art and Design

BC Indigenous Artists - information

Indigenous Art in Canada - history

Story Credit to Joan M. Vastokas - The Canadian Encyclopedia

Indigenous Art in Canada

The history of Indigenous art in Canada begins sometime during the last Ice Age between 80,000 and 12,000 years ago. To date, however, the oldest surviving artworks (excluding finely crafted, aesthetically significant stone tools) are datable to no earlier than 5,000 years ago. Decorative and depictive carvings from the earliest periods have been found in the Lower Fraser region of British Columbia, and other pieces have been found in several parts of Canada. The development of Indigenous art in Canada is in many ways more complex than that of the relatively recent European settlers, and may be divided into three distinct periods: prehistoric art, contact or "historic" art, and contemporary Indigenous art.

Indigenous Artists - Vancouver Public Library

Why Totem Poles were never meant to be in museums - CBC News: A sacred totem pole that has been in Victoria, B.C. museum for over a century has been returned to its owners, the Nuxalk Nation. CBC’s Wawmeesh Hamilton takes us through its repatriation back home to Bella Coola, B.C. and he tells us what this homecoming means for the community. Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/1.6751205

Coast Salish

Coast Salish Design Elements - by Qwalsius - Shaun Peterson
Arthur Vickers
Artist Website and information about his art.
"This is the story of a Canadian West Coast story teller, who uses his voice and his art to celebrate the world within which he lives.
Welcome to the world of Arthur Vickers."
Robert Davidson
For more than fifty years now, Robert Davidson has worked as an artist and has produced an internationally acclaimed body of work. His work is found in a number of private and public collections including the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Canadian Museum of History in Hull, Quebec, the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles. His Haida name is Guud Sans Glans which means "Eagle of the Dawn".

Prairies

Allen Sapp Gallery
Influential artist who portrayed Cree life - Sapp has been honoured with the Saskatchewan Award of Merit (1985) and the Order of Canada (1987)

Northern

Ontario East

Norval Morrisseau
Norval Morrisseau (1931–2007) is considered by many to be the Mishomis, or grandfather, of contemporary Indigenous art in Canada. His life has been sensationalized in newspapers and documentaries while his unique artistic style has pushed the boundaries of visual storytelling. The creator of the Woodland School of art and a prominent member of the Indian Group of Seven, Morrisseau is best known for using bright colours and portraying traditional stories, spiritual themes, and political messages in his work.