Catherine Blackburn Dënesųłinë́, b. 1984

Catherine Blackburn (b. 1984, Patuanak, SK), member of the English River First Nation (Dënesųłinë́), is a multidisciplinary artist whose common themes explore Indigenous sovereignty, decolonization, and representation, often prompted by personal narratives. Through stories and experiences both personal and political, her work in beading and adornment stitches together histories and practices bound by reclamation and resistance. Her practice focuses primarily on the mediums of beadwork, sculpture and wearable work. Blackburn’s work has been presented in exhibitions and fashion runways both nationally and internationally. She is the recipient of the Melissa Levin Emerging Artist Award, the prestigious Eitlejorg Contemporary Art Fellowship in 2021, a 2022 Forge Residency Fellowship, and she was a Sobey Art Award longlist nominee in 2019 and 2023.