b. 1958, Hobbema Reserve, Alberta
First Nations Affiliation: Plains Cree

George Littlechild received a diploma in art and design form Red Deer College in 1984, and rose to commercial success after obtaining a B.F.A. from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax in 1988. Raised in foster homes separated from his Cree community, his mixed-media paintings record his personal and family history as well as his reclamation and reconnection with his ancestral culture. Littlechild believes colours possess spiritual cleansing and purifying powers, and is known for his finesse as a colourist as well as his collaging of haunting vintage photographs. He was presented a scholarship from the Alberta Indian Arts and Crafts Society, and in 1996, was honoured with the British Columbia Cultural Services award.

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

Alberta Arts Foundation, Edmonton, Alberta
Alberta Indian Arts and Crafts Society, Edmonton, Alberta
Banff Centre for the Arts, Banff, Alberta
Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Québec
Dunlop Art Gallery, Regina, Saskatchewan
Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta
Esso Emerging Artists Collections, Calgary, Alberta
Native Business Venture Capital, Edmonton, Alberta
Surrey Art Gallery, Surrey, British Columbia
Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, Ontario
Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta

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

Ahenakew Freda, ed. How the Birch Tree Got its Stripes: A Cree Story for Children. Illustrated by George Littlechild; translated by Freda Ahenakew. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: Fifth House, 1988.

Ahenakew Freda, ed. How the Mouse Got Brown Teeth: A Cree Story for Children. Illustrated by George Littlechild; translated by Freda Ahenakew. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: Fifth House, 1988.

Ahenakew Freda, ed. Napesis ekwa apakosis acimowinis: atayohkewin. Illustrated by George Littlechild; translated by Freda Ahenakew. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Centre, 1988. [In Cree; English translation on p. 28. Story about a boy and a mouse. Written by Cree-speaking students in an intermediate Cree course at Saskatoon in 1982]

Alibhai, Amir Ali B., ed. George Littlechild. Surrey, British Columbia: Surrey Art Gallery, 1996.

"Ancestral passages." Vancouver Sun, 27 October 1990, p. D10. [Review: Derek Simpkins Gallery of Tribal Art, Vancouver, British Columbia]

"Artist transcends ravaged childhood, history (Profile)." Calgary Herald, 14 November 1989, p. E6.

"Award (Asum Mena) gives boost to George Littlechild. Windspeaker 4, no. 23 (15 August 1986): 13

"(Calgary) art show features five Native artists. Windspeaker 4, no. 46 (23 January 1987): 10.

"George Littlechild (Plains Cree ancestors)." Western Living (Vancouver Edition) 21, no. 1 (January 1991): 74.

Gustafson, Paula. "Dis-placed Indians: The sixties scoop." Artichoke: Writings About the Visual Arts 9, no. 2 (Summer 1997): 48-49. [Review: Surrey Art Gallery, Surrey, British Columbia]

Littlechild, George. George Littlechild: Red Horse / Red Indian. Thunder Bay, Ontario: Thunder Bay Art Gallery, 1990.

Littlechild, George. This Land is Your Land. San Francisco, California: Children's Book Press, 1993.

Littlechild, George. We are All Related: A Celebration of our Cultural Heritage. Vancouver, British Columbia: George T. Cunningham Elementary School, 1996.

Lunn, Dr. John, et al. Canada's First People: A Celebration of Contemporary Native Visual Arts. Fort McMurray, Alberta: Syncrude Canada; Alberta Part Art Publications Society, 1992.

Methot, Suzanne. "George Littlechild: Transformation and reclamation." Aboriginal Voices 5, no. 2 (March / April 1998): 37-40.

Michell, Patrick. "Littlechild's art reflects the tragedy of Indians in white society." Windspeaker 6, no. 22 (5 August 1988): 8.

"Painted beads." Windspeaker 7, no. 7 (21 April 1989): 14. [Review: Front Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta]

"Proud noble warrior." Vancouver Sun, 19 October 1991, p. D11. [Review: Derek Simpkins Gallery of Tribal Art, Vancouver, British Columbia]

Review: Anna Leonowens Gallery. Halifax Chronicle Herald, 18 March 1988, p. 3-E

Ryan, Allan J. "The Trickster Shift: A New Paradigm in Contemporary Canadian Native Art." Ph.D. diss., University of British Columbia, 1995.

"Past & recent work." Vancouver Sun, 21 September 1996, p. C5, C16. [Review: Surrey Art Gallery, Surrey, British Columbia]

"A story of pain behind the paintings." Vancouver Sun, 31 December 1993, p. D18.

"Titles, humor convey Littlechild's messages." Windspeaker 12, no. 19 (5 - 18 December 1994): 12.

Townshend, Nancy. Review: Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Alberta. Art Post 7, no. 2 (Winter / Spring 1990): 32-34.

"Two nations, one voice [George Littlechild & Linda Dayan Frimer]." Vancouver Sun, 17 December 1994, p. D7. [Review: Sidney & Gertrude Zack Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia]