Tania Willard (born 1977) is an

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

Canadian multidisciplinary artist,

graphic designer A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography, or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, ...

, and

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

, known for mixing traditional Indigenous arts practices with contemporary ideas. Willard is from the Secwepemc nation, of the

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

interior, Canada. Willard was the co-curator for the art exhibition, ''Beat Nation: Art Hip Hop and Aboriginal Culture'', which toured in major galleries across

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Biography

Willard was born in 1977 and grew up in

Armstrong Armstrong may refer to: Places * Armstrong Creek (disambiguation), various places Antarctica * Armstrong Reef, Biscoe Islands Argentina * Armstrong, Santa Fe Australia * Armstrong, Victoria Canada * Armstrong, British Columbia * Armstrong ...

, British Columbia, as well as back and forth to her father's

Indian reserve In Canada, an Indian reserve (french: réserve indienne) is specified by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." Ind ...

. A formative moment in her life happened when she was 16 and selling fruit for her aunt at a

powwow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native American and First Nations communities. Powwows today allow Indigenous people to socialize, dance, sing, and honor their cultures. Powwows may be private or pu ...

; while there she saw a group of kids

breakdancing Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in ...

Career

"''Interconnectedness is the root system of my work as an artist. Land-based art, community engaged practice,
printmaking Printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand processed techniq ...
,
painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...
are the mediums I most often work in, these ways of working are tied to me, I am tied to my ancestors, we are tied to the land.''" - Tania Willard

Willard is an artist, graphic designer, and curator who focuses on mixing traditional Indigenous arts practices with contemporary ideas, often working with bodies of knowledge and skills that are conceptually linked to her interest in intersections between Aboriginal and other cultures. In the opening essay to Willard's exhibition, ''Claiming Space'', at the Kamloops Art Gallery, Acting Director Beverley Clayton, writes: "...inspired by

geological Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Eart ...

landforms on traditional Secwepemc land and by other aspects of the place, Tania Willard's art work acts as a conduit between generations and cultures." She works with

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

and

acrylic painting Acrylic paint is a fast-drying paint made of pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion and plasticizers, silicone oils, defoamers, stabilizers, or metal soaps. Most acrylic paints are water-based, but become water-resistant when dry. Depe ...

, printmaking, pen and ink drawing, watercolour, mixed media, and

collage Collage (, from the french: coller, "to glue" or "to stick together";) is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. ...

. She also makes public art, including a collaborative community mural with the artist Guillermo Aranda and the Secwepemc Native Youth Network entitled ''Neskonlith Mural'', in 2013. Willard is a member of the

artist collective An artist collective is an initiative that is the result of a group of artists working together, usually under their own management, towards shared aims. The aims of an artist collective can include almost anything that is relevant to the need ...

New BC Indian Art and Welfare Society. From 2013 to 2015, Willard was the Aboriginal Curator in Residence at the Kamloops Art Gallery. She is the recipient of the

Hnatyshyn Foundation Visual Arts Awards The Hnatyshyn Foundation Visual Arts Awards, the Award for Outstanding Achievement as an Artist and the Award for Curatorial Excellence in Contemporary Art are two annual arts awards of $25,000 and $10,000 that recognize mid-career Canadian visual ...

for Curatorial Excellence in Contemporary Art. In 2017 Willard had a

solo exhibition A solo show or solo exhibition is an exhibition of the work of only one artist. The artwork may be paintings, drawings, etchings, collage, sculpture, or photography. The creator of any artistic technique may be the subject of a solo show. Other s ...

at the Burnaby Art Gallery entitled ''dissimulation.''

Curatorial work

Beat Nation: Art Hip Hop and Aboriginal Culture

Willard curated the exhibition project ''Beat Nation'', which started as an online project for

grunt gallery The grunt gallery is a Canadian artist-run centre, founded in 1984 and located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They show work by both indigenous and non-indigenous artists. History Established in 1984, and founded by Glenn Alteen, Kempton Dexte ...

. It features visual art, videos, music, and writing. ''Beat Nation the Exhibition'' toured starting in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Kamloops Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the South flowing North Thompson River and the West flowing Thompson River, east of Kamloops Lake. It is located in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, w ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, Halifax and

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

. Willard states that, "it was a really important journey to take this exhibit to different places; the context of the exhibition is to present indigenous artists today who respond to both socio-political states of Indigenous peoples and struggles, as well as use a mix of quite contemporary mediums and ancestral ideas." ''Beat Nation'' started with a very artist-run-centre approach—very immediate and somewhat more flexible. The intention was never to create a large scale traveling exhibition.

BUSH gallery

BUSH gallery is an experimental land-based, Indigenous-led

artist residency Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...

that takes place on Willard's land in Secwepemc Nation in interior British Columbia. In an issue of ''C Magazine'' guest-edited by Willard and

Peter Morin Peter Morin is a Tahltan Nation artist, author, curator and professor at the Ontario College of Art and Design. He was born on September 8, 1977, in Telegraph Creek, British Columbia, Canada and identifies as member of the Crow clan. He addresses ...

the editors state, "BUSH gallery is a series of on-going gatherings of like-minded folks united under questions concerning art making, land, Indigenous art history and interventions into the colonial." This issue also included the BUSH Manifesto.

#callresponse

''#callresponse'' is a multifaceted project, co-organized by

Tarah Hogue Tarah Hogue is a Canadian curator and writer known for her work with Indigenous art. Hogue is of Métis and settler ancestry and resides in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She is the inaugural Curator (Indigenous Art) at Remai Modern. Early life and edu ...

Maria Hupfield Maria Hupfield (born 1975) is a Canadian artist, working in Brooklyn, New York. She is an Anishinaabe, specifically an Ojibwe and a member of the Wasauksing First Nation, located in Ontario, Canada. Hupfield works in a variety of media, including ...

and Willard, and in partnership with

, supported by the conciliation initiative of the

Canada Council for the Arts The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the federal government's principal in ...

, the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, and The Circle on Philanthropy and

Aboriginal Peoples in Canada In Canada, Indigenous groups comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Although ''Indian'' is a term still commonly used in legal documents, the descriptors ''Indian'' and '' Eskimo'' have fallen into disuse in Canada, and most consider the ...

. It includes a website,

social media platform Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social med ...

s, touring exhibition, and catalogue, which aim to strategically centre the vital presence of Indigenous women across multiple platforms. The project features five commissions from Indigenous women around Canada, such as Willard, Christi Belcourt, Hupfield,

Ursula Johnson Ursula Johnson (born 1980) is a multidisciplinary Mi’kmaq artist based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Her work combines the Mi’kmaq tradition of basket weaving with sculpture, installation, and performance art. In all its manifestations he ...

, and Laakkuluk Williamson-Bathory. Each artist invited a guest, including Isaac Murdoch, IV Castellanos and Esther Neff, Cheryl L’Hirondelle,

Marcia Crosby Marcia Crosby is a Canadian writer, art historian, and educator with Tsimshian-Haida ethnicity. Background Crosby is of ancestry, originating from the Maxxtakxaata (Metlakatla, Alaska), and Gisbutwaada (Killer Whale clan), and House of Gitlan. Bo ...

and

Tanya Tagaq Tanya may refer to: * Tanya (Judaism),an early work of Hasidic philosophy by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi. * Tanya (name), a given name and list of people with the name * Tanya or Lara Saint Paul (born 1946) * List of Mortal Kombat characters#Tany ...

, to respond to their work.

Exhibitions

Select artist exhibitions

* 2009 – ''Lore,'' group exhibition with Willard,

Duane Linklater Duane Linklater (born 1976) is an artist of Omaskêko Cree ancestry. Biography Born in Moose Factory, Ontario, Canada, Linklater now lives in North Bay. He is married to artist-choreographer, Tanya Lukin Linklater. Linklater attended the Univ ...

, and Jason Lujan at Foreman Art Gallery of

Bishop's University Bishop's University (french: Université Bishop's) is a small English-language Liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Lennoxville, a borough of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. The founder of the institution was the Anglican Diocese of Quebe ...

& Gallery 101,

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

* 2009 – ''Claiming Space,'' solo exhibition, Kamloops Art Gallery, Kamloops, British Columbia * 2013 – ''Witnesses: Art and Canada's Indian Residential Schools'',

Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery The Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in Vancouver, British Columbia, on the campus of the University of British Columbia. The gallery is housed in an award-winning building designed by architect Peter Cardew and o ...

, Vancouver, British Columbia *2016 – ''Unsettled Sites,''

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located from ...

Gallery,

Burnaby, British Columbia Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard Inl ...

* 2017 – ''Tania Willard: Dissimulation,'' Burnaby Art Gallery, Burnaby *2018 – ''The Shape of the Middle'', Open Studio Contemporary Printmaking Centre, Toronto, Ontario *2019 – ''Hexsa'am: To Be Here Always,''

at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

Select curation exhibitions

* 2012 – ''Beat Nation: Art Hip Hop and Aboriginal Culture'', traveling exhibition with the first show at the

Vancouver Art Gallery The Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) is an art museum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The museum occupies a adjacent to Robson Square in downtown Vancouver, making it the largest art museum in Western Canada by building size. Designed by Franc ...

, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (as co-curator). *2014 – ''unlimited edition,'' Kamloops Art Gallery. *2015 – ''CUSTOM MADE / Tsitslem te stem te ck'ultens-kuc'', Kamloops Art Gallery. * 2016 – ''Unceded Territories: Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun'', the

Museum of Anthropology at UBC The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia (UBC) campus in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is renowned for its displays of world arts and cultures, in particular works by First Nations of the Pacific Northwest. As well as ...

(as a co-curator) *2016 – ''Nanitch: Early Photographs of British Columbia from the Langmann Collection'' (as co-curator), Presentation House Gallery (now Polygon Gallery), North Vancouver, Canada. *2016 – ''Work to Rule: Krista Belle Stewart,'' Kelowna Art Gallery. *2017 – ''Maureen Gruben: Stitching My Landscape'', for ''Landmarks/Repères2017.''

References

External links

*
Witnesses: Art and Canada's Indian Residential Schools, Exhibition Catalog PDF
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willard, Tania 1977 births Living people Artists from British Columbia Canadian art curators Canadian multimedia artists Canadian women painters Indigenous curators of the Americas People from Kamloops 21st-century Canadian women artists Canadian women curators