Faye HeavyShield
Encyclopedia
Faye HeavyShield is a Kainai-Blood
sculptor and installation art
ist. She is known for her repetitive use of objects and writing to create large scale, often minimalist, site-specific installations.
Background=
HeavyShield, the third youngest out of twelve siblings, grew up on the North End of the Blood Reserve
where her father managed a ranch
. As a youth she attended Catholic
school at St. Mary's Residential. Growing up on the Reserve she spoke Blackfoot
and English
and spent quite a bit of time with her grandmother who told her traditional stories about the Blood and Blackfoot people. In 1980 she began attending classes at the Alberta College of Art and Design
, but, she obtained her bachelors of fine art at the University of Calgary
in 1986.
In 2007 HeavyShield narrated and acted in "Legends of Kainai: Stories from the Blackfoot People of Southern Alberta" produced by the CBC
.
Fine art career=
Upon entering the Alberta College of Art she began to explore artistic styles finding herself drawn to working with her hands through sculpture and large scale installations. Creating these works gave her a feeling of immersion in the materials and concepts behind the pieces.
, such as body of land, first created in 2002. Hundreds of small paper conical tipi
forms are placed sometimes solitary, in couples, or in groups, on a wall. The forms are in shades of red, pink, purple and brown. The colors are obtained from digital images of human skin, magnified, then printed on paper. body of land seeks to show the permanence of environments, community, language and history.
These works often display multiples, whether the forms in body of land, boats, small squares of cloth, or other delicate and often hand-created objects. The creation of these pieces leads to repetitive tasks, such as dying clothing - this repetitive process is one that HeavySheilds finds meditative and exploratory.
ancestry flow constantly through her work. In 2004 she created kuto'iis ("blood"), which consists of hundreds of small knotted balls of cloth attached to a wall, painted in red ochre
. Similar to body of land in its chaotic placement of the knots, each knot signifies a blood clot. The repetitive pattern and ritualized act of creating the knots has been described as a "re-collection of stories, the sounds of language and song, of home."
From 2007-2008 HeavyShield studied Blood beadwork in the collections of the Canadian Museum of Civilization
, the Royal Ontario Museum
and the Glenbow Museum
. Studying the museums classification systems of these objects, she noticed they were stored in rows of drawers or on shelves and often with only small catalog tags. During this study she also thought about the people (mainly women) who created the objects, people whom she and her family are related to genetically and historically. One piece that came from this study is hours (2007); a book, with no text, consisting of twelve bound pages of woven white seed beads.
s worn by the Grey Nuns
appear in the mid-1990s with heart hoof horn as well as addresses of prayer in the installation piece now I lay me down, showing semi-abstract fonts placed on a wall reflecting Catholic rituals and prayers. now I lay me down was a part of her 1994 exhibit "Into the Garden of Angels" at The Power Plant
in Toronto
.
black. This piece is the first time that HeavyShield utilized her own words (eventually bringing her poetry into future work) with framed black and white panels over each pair of shoes, representing "everywoman".
and the Belly
. She used to play in the Oldham as a child with her siblings and in 2004 she began documenting the rivers with photographs, which she proceeded to create black and white photocopies of, titling it old man is a river.
The piece, shaped like a diamond, consists of one half encaustic
images of prairie grass
and one half a large digital print collage featuring inscriptions of her thoughts. This work was displayed in 2005 at the Alberta Biennial.
In 2004 she created camouflage, an installation and performance-like piece that involved HeavyShield placing stones and twigs from the Oldman River
, which feature photocopied images of the river and text from the Blackfoot dictionary on them, on the shore of the St. Croix River
. Releasing them to the elements, three weeks later most of the pieces had scattered or been carried away by the tide. This piece was created on the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Samuel de Champlain
at the site - representing "themes of transplantation and exchange."
Notable collections=
Notable awards=
External links=
Further reading=
Kainai Nation
The Kainai Nation is a First Nation in southern Alberta, Canada with a population of 7,437 members in 2005, and had a population of 9,035 members as of 9 February 2008...
sculptor and installation art
Installation art
Installation art describes an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called Land art; however, the boundaries between...
ist. She is known for her repetitive use of objects and writing to create large scale, often minimalist, site-specific installations.
Background=
HeavyShield, the third youngest out of twelve siblings, grew up on the North End of the Blood Reserve
Blood 148, Alberta
Blood 148 is an indian reserve in Alberta, Canada. It is inhabited by the Blood first nation and was established under the provisions of the Treaty 7...
where her father managed a ranch
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
. As a youth she attended Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
school at St. Mary's Residential. Growing up on the Reserve she spoke Blackfoot
Blackfoot language
Blackfoot, also known as Siksika , Pikanii, and Blackfeet, is the Algonquian language spoken by the Blackfoot tribes of Native Americans, who currently live in the northwestern plains of North America...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and spent quite a bit of time with her grandmother who told her traditional stories about the Blood and Blackfoot people. In 1980 she began attending classes at the Alberta College of Art and Design
Alberta College of Art and Design
-History:The Alberta College of Art & Design is a Canadian degree-granting, publicly-funded art and design college located in Calgary . It was known as the Provincial Institute of Technology and Arts, which was part of SAIT until 1985...
, but, she obtained her bachelors of fine art at the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
in 1986.
In 2007 HeavyShield narrated and acted in "Legends of Kainai: Stories from the Blackfoot People of Southern Alberta" produced by the CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
.
Fine art career=
My art is a reflection of my environment and personal history as lived in the physical geography of southern Alberta with its prairie grass, river coulees, and wind and an upbringing in the Kainai community (with a childhood stint in the Catholic residential school system). The past, present and imagined make up the vocabulary used to realize my thoughts and ideas; responses and references to the body, land, language. - Faye HeavyShield
Upon entering the Alberta College of Art she began to explore artistic styles finding herself drawn to working with her hands through sculpture and large scale installations. Creating these works gave her a feeling of immersion in the materials and concepts behind the pieces.
Sculptural installations
Many of HeavyShield's works are site-specificSite-specific art
Site-specific art is artwork created to exist in a certain place. Typically, the artist takes the location into account while planning and creating the artwork...
, such as body of land, first created in 2002. Hundreds of small paper conical tipi
Tipi
A tipi is a Lakota name for a conical tent traditionally made of animal skins and wooden poles used by the nomadic tribes and sedentary tribal dwellers of the Great Plains...
forms are placed sometimes solitary, in couples, or in groups, on a wall. The forms are in shades of red, pink, purple and brown. The colors are obtained from digital images of human skin, magnified, then printed on paper. body of land seeks to show the permanence of environments, community, language and history.
These works often display multiples, whether the forms in body of land, boats, small squares of cloth, or other delicate and often hand-created objects. The creation of these pieces leads to repetitive tasks, such as dying clothing - this repetitive process is one that HeavySheilds finds meditative and exploratory.
Heritage
Always a major source of inspiration, HeavyShield's life on the Blood reservation and BlackfootBlackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta and one Native American tribe in Montana....
ancestry flow constantly through her work. In 2004 she created kuto'iis ("blood"), which consists of hundreds of small knotted balls of cloth attached to a wall, painted in red ochre
Ochre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
. Similar to body of land in its chaotic placement of the knots, each knot signifies a blood clot. The repetitive pattern and ritualized act of creating the knots has been described as a "re-collection of stories, the sounds of language and song, of home."
From 2007-2008 HeavyShield studied Blood beadwork in the collections of the Canadian Museum of Civilization
Canadian Museum of Civilization
The Canadian Museum of Civilization is Canada's national museum of human history and the most popular and most-visited museum in Canada....
, the Royal Ontario Museum
Royal Ontario Museum
The Royal Ontario Museum is a museum of world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With its main entrance facing Bloor Street in Downtown Toronto, the museum is situated north of Queen's Park and east of Philosopher's Walk in the University of Toronto...
and the Glenbow Museum
Glenbow Museum
The Glenbow Museum in Calgary is one of Western Canada's largest museums, with over 93,000 square feet of exhibition space in more than 20 galleries, showcasing a selection of the Glenbow's collection of over a million objects....
. Studying the museums classification systems of these objects, she noticed they were stored in rows of drawers or on shelves and often with only small catalog tags. During this study she also thought about the people (mainly women) who created the objects, people whom she and her family are related to genetically and historically. One piece that came from this study is hours (2007); a book, with no text, consisting of twelve bound pages of woven white seed beads.
Christian symbolism
HeavyShield's Catholic education and the importance of Christianity on the Blood Reserve continues to appear in her work. Drawings and sculptures inspired by the wimpleWimple
A wimple is a garment worn around the neck and chin, and which usually covers the head. Its use developed among women in early medieval Europe . At many stages of medieval culture it was unseemly for a married woman to show her hair...
s worn by the Grey Nuns
Grey Nuns
The Order of Sisters of Charity of Montreal, formerly called The Order of Sisters of Charity of the Hôpital Général of Montreal and more commonly known as the Grey Nuns of Montreal, is a Canadian order of Roman Catholic religious sisters...
appear in the mid-1990s with heart hoof horn as well as addresses of prayer in the installation piece now I lay me down, showing semi-abstract fonts placed on a wall reflecting Catholic rituals and prayers. now I lay me down was a part of her 1994 exhibit "Into the Garden of Angels" at The Power Plant
The Power Plant
The Power Plant is one of Canada’s leading public galleries devoted to contemporary art, located in Toronto, Ontario at Harbourfront Centre. As a non-collecting art gallery, The Power Plant has presented new and recent work by numerous Canadian artists along with their international peers.Over its...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
Feminism
In the 1990s HeavyShield was one of the fore-runners in the Canadian feminist art movement. Numerous works during the decade reflected on femininity and womanhood. In 1993 she created sisters: a circle of six pairs of high heels with the toes pointed outward. The installation, representing HeavyShield and her five sisters, symbolizes the strength of women. Utilizing shoes again in 1994's she: a room full of women she brings together twelve pairs of women's and girls' shoes spray painted matteMatte
Matte may refer to:In film:* Matte , filmmaking and video production technology* Matte painting, a process of creating sets used in film and video* Matte box, a camera accessory for controlling lens glare...
black. This piece is the first time that HeavyShield utilized her own words (eventually bringing her poetry into future work) with framed black and white panels over each pair of shoes, representing "everywoman".
Landscape
Growing up in southern Alberta, HeavyShield lived near two rivers: the OldmanOldman River
The Oldman River is a river in southern Alberta, Canada. It flows roughly west to east from the Rocky Mountains, through the communities of Fort Macleod, Lethbridge, Taber, and on to Grassy Lake, where it joins with the Bow River to form the South Saskatchewan River, which eventually drains into...
and the Belly
Belly River
Belly River is a river in northwest Montana, United States and southern Alberta, Canada. It is a tributary of the Oldman River, itself a tributary of the South Saskatchewan River....
. She used to play in the Oldham as a child with her siblings and in 2004 she began documenting the rivers with photographs, which she proceeded to create black and white photocopies of, titling it old man is a river.
Through digital images, writing and drawing, my time spent with rivers - their influence on our bodies and our histories - has been recorded and re-played. And through travels, this engagement with the idea of place and its texture has come to be site-specific.
The piece, shaped like a diamond, consists of one half encaustic
Encaustic painting
Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting, involves using heated beeswax to which colored pigments are added. The liquid/paste is then applied to a surface—usually prepared wood, though canvas and other materials are often used...
images of prairie grass
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
and one half a large digital print collage featuring inscriptions of her thoughts. This work was displayed in 2005 at the Alberta Biennial.
In 2004 she created camouflage, an installation and performance-like piece that involved HeavyShield placing stones and twigs from the Oldman River
Oldman River
The Oldman River is a river in southern Alberta, Canada. It flows roughly west to east from the Rocky Mountains, through the communities of Fort Macleod, Lethbridge, Taber, and on to Grassy Lake, where it joins with the Bow River to form the South Saskatchewan River, which eventually drains into...
, which feature photocopied images of the river and text from the Blackfoot dictionary on them, on the shore of the St. Croix River
St. Croix River
The St. Croix River may refer to several rivers in North America:* The Saint Croix River that forms part of the international boundary between Maine and New Brunswick...
. Releasing them to the elements, three weeks later most of the pieces had scattered or been carried away by the tide. This piece was created on the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....
at the site - representing "themes of transplantation and exchange."
Notable collections=
- Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art
- Heard MuseumHeard MuseumThe Heard Museum of Native Cultures and Art is a museum located in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. There is also the Heard Museum North Scottsdale branch in Scottsdale and the Heard Museum West branch in Surprise....
- National Gallery of CanadaNational Gallery of CanadaThe National Gallery of Canada , located in the capital city Ottawa, Ontario, is one of Canada's premier art galleries.The Gallery is now housed in a glass and granite building on Sussex Drive with a notable view of the Canadian Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. The acclaimed structure was...
Notable awards=
- Eiteljorg Fellowship for Native American Fine Art, 2009, Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art
External links=
Further reading=
- HeavySheild, Faye. venus as torpedo. Dunlop Art Gallery Publications, 1996. ISBN 0920085881
- Maclear, Kyo and Kathryn Walter. Private Investigators: Undercover in Public Space. Banff Centre Press, 1999. ISBN 0920159613
- Smith, Paul Chaat. Faye HeavyShield: Blood. Southern Alberta Art Gallery, 2005. ISBN 1894699300