Manitoba Aboriginal Artsit Archive

Gwen Reid was born in Smith Falls, Ontario and grew up in the City of Winnipeg. Gwen was adopted and raised by an Aboriginal woman from Six Nations Reserve and a Scottish man. Gwen spent her youth in the City of Winnipeg.

Gwen received her formal education at The University of Manitoba. Since working with clay, Gwen attended numerous workshops and classes.

Gwen's work is held in various private collections across North America, Germany, England and Italy.

Gwen's work is contemporary wheel thrown and handbuilt often with the addition of leather and beadwork. She works mostly on one of a kind pieces both decorative and functional. The majority of Gwen's work is fired at medium temperature in an oxidization atmosphere. Gwen works mostly in stoneware but has experimented in porcelain. More recently Gwen has been exploring wood and raku firing.

Gwen draws her inspiration from various entities on earth. The element "water" plays an important role in Gwen's artwork.

Gwen lives with her husband and three children in rural Manitoba where she maintains her studio in her home. Gwen is a member of Wabauskang First Nation, Perrault Falls, Ontario.

When 'throwing' the pieces on the wheel, I usually have no preconceived insights. I usually go with the feeling of the clay at that time. Since the clay comes from the earth, it too is in possession of a spirit, and I bring that spirit forth as an expression of itself in my creations.

With some of my work, such as the vase, it was hand molded into a symmetrical design then multi-fired in the kiln. I wanted it to have a certain functional purity. If the communal spirit of work is present then this essence is contained in the pottery. I like to think that my pottery possesses this attribute.

Another favorite of mine is the smudge bowl that I created. I found it simple, and beautiful, just like the beliefs of our people. For when we send our prayers to the Creator, they rise with the smoke, and we also receive his blessing in the smoke.

For the cream container and the sugar bowl, I was drawn to the light blue and white shades in reminiscence of the waters of North Western Ontario. That sense of spiritual freedom and physical connection to the land is the meaning that I wanted to convey.

For the small vase with the leather and crow beads, I found the leather to represent the living and the crow beads to represent the connection that we as a people have to the spirit world. I wanted people to realize that they are always connected, until the day it is their turn to follow the crow to the other side.

In my work, I am drawn to the colours, blue and white, that to our culture represent the element 'water,' the symbol of purity. Although I have not been able to trace my clan or ancestral roots, I have a strong sense that it must have a connection to the water.

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