MARCY FRIESEN
(B. Nipawin, Saskatchewan; Swampy Cree)
Marcy Friesen is of Swampy Cree and Welsh ancestry and currently resides on a mixed farm with her family near Carrot River, SK. She comes from a long line of traditional master beaders and talented creative family members. Friesen has always felt the need to create, and started her career with a small business making utilitarian objects such as mitts and mukluks. After visiting the Remai Modern in Saskatoon, she changed her practice to experimenting with an artisanal craftsmanship that exists outside the traditional spectrum of beauty and utility. Threading through beads, leather, and furs, Friesen draws the viewer into an intimate experience using her honed skills and intuitive sensibilities toward material, colour, and presentation. In Friesen’s practice, the natural and synthetic come together in ways that are inclusive of the contemporary condition, transforming ways of understanding and expectations of cultural production. Her work has been included in the Contemporary Native Art Biennial (BACA) in Montreal, the Whyte Museum in Banff, the Remai Modern in Saskatoon, and the Mackenzie Art Gallery in Regina. In June 2021, Friesen had her first solo exhibition at Fazakas Gallery in Vancouver, BC.
