Catherine Blackburn: Tell Me the Truth

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Catherine Blackburn, "tti", 2017

seed beads, pins, velvet, gel photo transfer, cotton. Photo courtesy of the artist.

A bead artist, painter and jeweler, Catherine Blackburn’s art practice is informed by her Dene and European ancestry, considering Canada's colonial past through her personal relationships and life experiences. The pieces in Tell Me the Truth use media, materials and artistic processes that connect to the various themes and histories Blackburn explores in the work, ideas both personal and historical: the history of the fur trade in Canada, her relationship with her family, Catholicism, the Dene language, loss, and the body. This moving exhibition prompts visitors to see the history and impact of colonialism and traditional art forms such as beadwork, quilling and painting, in new ways.

Catherine Blackburn holds a BFA Honours from the University of Saskatchewan and is based in the village of Leask, Saskatchewan. An artist of mixed Dene and European heritage, her work addresses contemporary concepts and personal experiences through traditional media. Blackburn has taught art at the English River and Mistawaskis First Nation Culture Camps, and has exhibited throughout Saskatchewan, and in Toronto and Taichung, Taiwan. Her work is in the holdings of the Mann Art Gallery, Prince Albert and in private collections in Canada and Taiwan. Blackburn is represented by Slate Fine Art Gallery in Regina and Alcheringa Gallery in Victoria, BC.