30 Jul, '22
The art exhibit will be a collection of wearable art that will be displayed on mannequins to host a fully embodied presentation.
Each piece will have an original birch bark biting design envisioned and created by the artist Half Moon Woman. Utilizing contemporary technologies, such as laser etching, the exhibit will transpose these bitings onto traditional materials such as hide, fur, bone and metals creating head to toe looks. The original birch bark bitings will be exhibited alongside the contemporary wearable art pieces. This show will be pushing the boundaries on the intersection of ancient cultural art forms, modern technologies and the occupation of contemporary spaces. There will be 13 pieces telling the story of Indigenous people through time starting with pre contact to colonialism and into the future. This collection will be a story of survival, resilience, and hope; the story of Indigenous people across Turtle Island and the world.
Pat Bruderer – Half Moon Woman represents the preservation of a very special type of indigenous art. The art form is called Birch Bark Bitings and Pat is one of the few knowledge keepers and expert practitioners of this ancient Indigenous art. She was born and raised in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada and is of Cree ancestry. She is a member of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation who are Assin’skowitiniwak or Rocky Cree. She is the mother of five children, is a proud Kookum to her grandchildren and currently resides in British Columbia, Canada. Half Moon has always been an active community member, teaching art, volunteering, and creating programs to assist Indigenous communities in Canada. Half Moon Women, is self-taught in the art form but was highly inspired by the work of Angelique Merasty of Flin Flon, Manitoba. Half Moon feels great responsibility as a carrier of this traditional art form, and strives for it’s preservation, and for the teachings that it holds; something she calls ‘Passing a Tradition.’ Pat’s work can be found in museums, galleries, and private collections around the world.
Watch a video of birch bark biting and Pat
July 30th Opening
