Indigenous Spotlight: Vanessa Hyggen
Channel: Saskatoon Public Library
Date: 2021-08-14

Today in Indigenous Spotlight, Vanessa Hyggen is discussing her approach to art, and demonstrating a two-needle beading technique. You may remember Vanessa for her gorgeous beaded Moth Mask, which she created near the start of the pandemic.

Vanessa is a Canadian artist of Woodlands Cree and Norwegian ancestry. She is a member of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band and her community is nemepith sipihk (Sucker River). She holds her Bachelor of Arts with distinction from the University of Saskatchewan. Vanessa is interested in utilizing memory, tradition and themes of nature in her work.  Her last solo exhibition included both paintings and beadings which highlighted our impact on the land, specifically in Saskatchewan which has been called one of the most altered landscapes on the planet. 

Vanessa's painting titled Treaty Annuity (2018) was purchased to be included in the Indigenous Art Collection in the Government of Canada and she has been a part of two art collaborations at the University of Saskatchewan, mÎkisak ikwa asiniyak/ Beads and Stone / Lii rasaad aykway lii rosh (2019), and anoch kipasikônaw / we rise / niipawi (2020). Vanessa seeks to tell story through her paintings and beadwork. 

So far, Hyggen has created three beaded hide masks in response to the global pandemic, with a fourth in the works. Her beaded Moth Mask is presently touring in the group show Breathe II until 2023. Her work can be purchased at https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/VanessaHyggenArt.