Faye HeavyShield, 2021 Distinguished Artist
Visual artist Faye HeavyShield is among the three recipients of this year's $30,000 Distinguished Artist Awards from the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards Foundation.
HeavyShield, a member of the Kainaiwa (Blood) Nation in southern Alberta, is known for her sculptures and installations, which often incorporate photography and suspended paper figures.
HeavyShield says her work is grounded in the land and her history.
“I would say the environment is an extension of myself because it’s always been there, from the time I was a child," she says. "It was one of the first things that I saw and smelled. I consider it a part of me.”
The other two $30,000 awards went to writer and filmmaker Cheryl Foggo and dance choreographer Vicki Adams Willis.
“These three ground-breaking women have offered important contributions to the arts in Canada,” says Salma Lakhani, Alberta's lieutenant-governor. “Their creativity has brought new light to their respective disciplines.”
The winners also receive medals and a two-week residency at the Banff Centre’s Leighton Artist Studios.
Source: Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards Foundation