Amy Malbeuf
Amy Malbeuf is a Canadian-Métis visual artist, educator, and cultural tattoo practitioner born in Rich Lake, Alberta. Malbeuf examines notions of language, territory, nature and identity through a multidisciplinary approach. Alongside her artistic practice, Malbeuf teaches the skills and traditions of caribou and moose hair tufting and embroidery. Education. Malbeuf received her BFA from the Alberta College of Art + Design in Calgary and an MFA in Visual Art from the University of British Columbia Okanagan in Kelowna. She has participated in numerous international artist residencies, including programs at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, The Banff  Centre, The Labrador Research Institute, and Santa Fe Art Institute. She is also certified as a Native Cultural Arts Instructor by Portage College in Lac La Biche. Art. Caribou hair tufting, beadwork, installation, performance, and video are prominent in Malbeuf's work. Her practice examines the relationships between humanity and nature by deconstructing misunderstandings of Native culture and exploring intersections between culture and race. Works such as "Iskotew" (2018), a sculpture of the Cree word for "Fire" described as ᐃᐢᑯᑌᐤ in "Nēhiyawēwin," look at Native heritage through landscape and language. As a cultural tattoo practitioner, Malbeuf practices skin stitch, an  indigenous tattoo process that sews thread dipped in ink into the skin. Selected exhibitions. Malbeuf has exhibited her works at national and international venues including the MacKenzie Art Gallery, Art Gallery of Alberta, Contemporary Calgary, and Stride Gallery. Awards. Malbeuf has received awards such as the 2016 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award, the 2016 William and Meredith Saunderson Prize for Emerging Artists in Canada from the Hnatyshyn Foundation, a 2017 REVEAL award from the Hnatyshyn Foundation and was long listed for the 2017 Sobey Art Award.