b. 1944, Garden Hill Reserve, Island Lake, Manitoba
d. 1984
First Nations Affiliation: Cree; Ojibwa

During his short lifespan, Jackson Beardy helped effect a methodological shift from the anthropological to the aesthetic evaluation of Native art, and worked tirelessly to lay the institutional and activist political foundations which would nourish a subsequent generation of First Nations artists. A founding member of the new Woodland School, Beardy was included in the historic exhibition Treaty Numbers 23, 287, 1171 curated by Jacqueline Fry for the Winnipeg Art Gallery in 1972. That same year, he was awarded the Canadian Centennial Medal. Beardy served as art advisor and cultural consultant for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, and balanced service in several associations with numerous commissions.

R E C E N T   E X H I B I T I O N S

S E L E C T E D   C O L L E C T I O N S

Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Québec
Department of Justice, Supreme Court, Ottawa, Ontario
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature, Winnipeg, Manitoba
McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario
Mother Theresa's Hospital, Calcutta, India
Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario
Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia
Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Windsor Castle, London, England

S E L E C T E D   B I B L I O G R A P H Y

"Artist closed gap between cultures." Calgary Herald, 11 December 1984, p. F2. [Obituary]

"Beardy art sale upsets widow." Calgary Herald, 1 November 1987, p. E8.

"Beardy exhibition draws rush of eager art buyers." Winnipeg Free Press, 27 October 1987, p. 21.

"Beardy remembered as important Native artist." Winnipeg Free Press, 11 December 1984, p. 38.

The Canadian Journal of Native Studies 4, no. 1 (Winter, 1993). [Illustrations by Beardy]

Canadian Museum of Civilization, ed. In the Shadow of the Sun: Perspectives on Contemporary Native Art. Hull, Québec: The Museum, 1993.

"Cree artist inspired by Indian legends." Toronto Star, 11 December 1984, p. A18. [Obituary]

Cochran, Bente Roed. "Winnipeg printmakers." Artswest 7, no.8 (September 1982): 18-20.

Cutschall, Colleen. Review of Jackson Beardy: A Life's Work by Shirley Madill. Canadian Journal of Native Studies 16, no. 2 (1996): 385-386.

Davis, Angela E. The Grand Western Canadian Screen Shop: printing, people, and history. Regina, Saskatchewan: Norman MacKenzie Art Gallery, 1992.

Fry, Jaqueline. "Treaty Numbers 23, 287, 1171." ArtsCanada 29, no. 3 (Autumn 1972): 72-77. [Review]

Gazee, Cliff. "Jackson Beardy." The Native Perspective 3, no.2 (1978): 71.

"Hard life focus of Beardy tribute." Winnipeg Free Press, 12 December 1984, p. 2.

Highwater, Jamake. The Sweet Grass Lives On: Fifty Contemporary North American Indian Artists. New York: Lippincott & Crowell, 1980.

Hughes, Kenneth James. Jackson Beardy, Life and Art. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Canadian Dimension Publishers; Toronto, Ontario: J. Lorimer, 1979.

Hughes, Kenneth James. "The life and art of Jackson Beardy." Arts Manitoba 1, no. 1 (1977): 51-53.

"Jackson Beardy: A Life's Work." Winnipeg Free Press, 23 October 1993, p. B4. [Review: Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg ]

"Jackson Beardy prints come on market again." Vancouver Sun, 2 November 1987, p. D3.

Johnston, Basil. Ojibway Heritage. Illustrated by Jackson Beardy. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1976.

Madill, Shirley. Jackson Beardy: A Life's Work/Jackson Beardy: Gaagii-aijinanokiipan/Jackson Beardy: son oeuvre. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1994.

"Manitoba Native artist." Vancouver Sun, 12 December 1984, p. B8. [Obituary]

Morgan, John Sydney. When the Morning Stars Sang Together. Illustrated by Jackson Beardy and Ron Hamilton. Agincourt, Ontario: Book Society of Canada, 1974.

"Native legend: Winnipeg Art Gallery honors Jackson Beardy's art." Winnipeg Free Press, 8 October 1993, p. C1.

"Paintings, prints by Jackson Beardy go on sale after two-year legal battle." Winnipeg Free Press, 6 March 1987, p. 20.

Podedworny, Carol. Woodlands: Contemporary Art of the Anishnabe. Thunder Bay, Ontario: Thunder Bay Art Gallery; Hull, Québec: Indian Art Centre of the Dept. of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada; Minneapolis, Minnesota: Origins Program, 1989. [Catalogue of an exhibition held at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, 7 July -3 September 1989 and at various galleries in the United States]

"Profiles of contemporary North American artists." Native Arts/West (September 1980): 24.

"Rare chance to buy Beardy works upsets his widow." Halifax Chronicle Herald, 30 October 1987, p. 5-E.

Royal Ontario Museum. Contemporary Native Art of Canada: The Woodland Indians. Toronto: ROM, 1976. [Exhibition held at Canada House Gallery, London, England, 7 April - 7 May 1976 and at Aula Luisenschule, Lahr, Germany, 7 - 21 March 1976]

Warner, John Anson. "Contemporary Algonkian legend painting." American Indian Art Magazine 3, no. 3 (1978): 59-64.

Warner, John Anson. "Contemporary Canadian Indian art." Masterkey 58, no. 4 (1984): 3-14.

Winnipeg Art Gallery. Treaty Numbers 23, 287, 1171: Three Indian Painters of the Prairies. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1972. [Catalogue by Jacqueline Fry, curator of non-western art, exhibition of works by Jackson Beardy, Alex Janvier, and Daphne Odjig at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, August 12-October 10, 1972]

Yates, Sara. "The Canadian influence in Paris." Arts Magazine (October / November 1977): 22-26.