b. 1953, Standoff, Blood Reserve
First Nations Affiliation: Blood (Blackfoot)

Faye HeavyShield is a sculptor acclaimed for her powerfully evocative minimalistic objects and installations. Trained at the Alberta College of Art (1980-85) and the University of Calgary (1985-86), HeavyShield’s work is informed by memory and the multiple, paradoxical positions she occupies as a member of the Blackfoot nation living and working in Calgary. Her uncompromised honing of deeply felt experiences of disenfranchisement and fragmentation into a refined economy of geometric forms are remarkable for the dignity with which they approach irreconcilable histories and current situations.

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 Art Foundation, Edmonton, Alberta
Alberta Indian Arts and Crafts Society, Edmonton, Alberta
Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Alberta
Heard Museum, Phoenix, Arizona
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario

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

Acland, Joan Reid. "Spiral and other parts of the body." In Multiplier; Points de vue sur l’art actuel des femmes, ed. Danielle Racine, 38-41. Montréal, Québec: La Centrale, 1998.

Archuleta, Margaret. "4th Biennial Native American Fine Arts Invitational at the Heard Museum." American Indian Art Magazine 15 (Winter 1989): 56.

"Art itself most important for Faye (Asum Mena award)." Windspeaker 4, no. 23 (15 August 1986): 13.

Barkhouse, Mary Anne. "Land, Spirit, Power." Matriart: A Canadian Feminist Art Journal 3, no. 2 (1992): 16-21.

Beauchamp, Elizabeth. "Native art in spotlight: Festival perks up slow summer visual arts scene." The Edmonton Journal, 3 August 1990, p. C-12.

Biennial Native American Fine Arts Invitational. The 4th Biennial Native American Fine Arts Invitational: October 21, 1989-Spring 1990: Marcus Amerman, R.E. Bartow, Frank Bigbear, Jr., Jesse Cooday, Leonard Allen Harmon, Cheyenne Harris, Faye HeavyShield, Jane Ash Poitras. Phoenix, Arizona: Heard Museum, 1989.

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

"Calgary artist's sculptures all spring from memories: Heart, Hoof, Horn show has travelled to Ottawa." Calgary Herald, 19 April 1994, p. A11.

Clark, Janet. She: A Room Full of Women. Thunder Bay, Ontario: Thunder Bay Art Gallery, 1994.

Crosby, Marcia and Paul Chaat Smith. Nations in Urban Landscapes. Vancouver, British Columbia: Contemporary Art Gallery, 1997.

"Double meanings: Messages Faye HeavyShield learned from two cultures are revealed in the irony of her art." Calgary Herald, 25 June 1993, p. E1.

Enright, Robert. "Bone things: The art of Faye HeavyShield." Border Crossings 2, no. 4 (Fall 1992): 49-52.

Enright, Robert. "The sky is the limit: Conversations with First Nations artists."Border Crossings 11, no. 4 (1992): 46-57.

Gogarty, Amy. "Aesthetics and race: Some more fixings for the brew." Artichoke 8, no. 3 (Fall-Winter 1996): 28-32.

"The heart as." Vancouver Sun, 19 February 1994, p. D5. [Review: Pitt Gallery, Vancouver]

"Heart, hoof, horn." Canadian Art 10, no. 3 (1993): 86-87. [Review Glenbow Museum, Calgary]

"HeavyShield wins Native art award." Winnipeg Free Press, 5 September 1986, p. 33.

"HeavyShield's exhibition reflects life experiences." Windspeaker 12, no. 19 (5-18 December 1994): 9.

Houle, Robert. Faye HeavyShield: Heart, Hoof, Horn. Calgary, Alberta: Glenbow Museum, 1993.

Houle, Robert. "Faye HeavyShield: An intuitive voice." Aboriginal Voices 1, no. 4 (Fall 1994): 24-26.

Lemecha, Vera. Faye HeavyShield: Venus as Torpedo. Regina, Saskatchewan: Dunlop Art Gallery, 1995.

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.

MacKay, Marilyn. " Changers: A spiritual renaissance." ARTSatlantic 11, no. 2 (Winter 1992): 34-36

"Nations in urban landscapes." Parachute 84 (October / November / December 1996): 64. [Review: Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver]

Nemiroff, Diana, Robert Houle, and Charlotte Townsend-Gault. Land, Spirit, Power: First Nations at the National Gallery of Canada. Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 1992.

O'Rourke, Debbie. "Confrontation and redemption: Installations by three First Nations artists." Espace 33 (1995): p. 35-39.

Renwick, Arthur. Faye HeavyShield: Into the Garden of Angels. Toronto, Ontario: The Power Plant, 1994.

Tétrault, Pierre-Léon, Dana Alan Williams, Guy Sioui Durand, Alfred Young Man, et al. New Territories: 350/500 Years After: An Exhibition of Contemporary Aboriginal Art of Canada. Prefaces by Robert Houle, Tom Hill. Montréal, Québec: Ateliers Vision planétaire, 1992.

"Venus as torpedo." Espace 34 (Winter 1995/1996): 48-49. [Review: Dunlop Art Gallery, Regina]