Visual arts & new media

Faye HeavyShield
blood, 2004
cotton, cotton string, acrylic

In celebration of International Women's Day we are proud to share, blood—the work of  Kainai artist Faye HeavyShield. 

Bold Women

Two of HeavyShield’s installation artworks, blood and homecoming, from the AFA’s Art Collection have been selected for Bold Women, a landmark exhibition at the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas. 

The show features over forty primarily Indigenous, Black, Newcomers and LGBT women artists as well as those of gender non-conforming identities whose visionary ideas and experimentation demonstrate the concept of boldness through challenging dominant institutional, cultural and social boundaries and reshaping historical narratives. 

Set to open February 18 and running through to July 6, 2025, the exhibition includes 75 artworks from various disciplines including photography, sculpture, textiles, paintings, video, installations and is organized across four galleries each exploring one element of boldness:

• Portrayal / Resistance: ways that portrayals can deny visibility
• Collective Preservation / Liberation: women preserving, healing, and liberating communities across generations
• Nature / Erasure: the erasure of women’s contributions, in conversation with nature
• Wisdom / Knowledge-keeping: transmitting knowledge and women as connectors

The exhibition was curated by Susan Earle, the Spencer Museum’s curator of European and American Art, along with a team of diverse curatorial collaborators from across North America including the Brooklyn Museum’s Curator Dr. Kimberli Grant and Wanda Nanibush, an Anishinaabe curator from the Beausoleil First Nation in Ontario among others. 

About the artist

Faye HeavyShield is a member of the Blood Nation. She graduated from the Alberta College of Art in 1985, and continued her studies at the University of Calgary. Gaining prominence and recognition in the past few years, her work has been the subject of many solo shows including major exhibitions of First Nations contemporary art. HeavyShield's work is a fusion of highly evolved personal and powerful imagery influenced by her Christian and Blood upbringing. Her minimalist installations are metaphors of the human body and a reflection of her personal experiences.

Bold women accelerating action at the AFA

Meet the bold women of the AFA's Board of Directors that are passionate about the arts and work steadfastly to support a vibrant Alberta arts community that sparks innovation, bursts with creativity, fosters understanding, and promotes belonging.  

Click the names of the board members and watch as they share their personal takes on the importance of the arts in Alberta.

Cynthia P. Moore AFA Board Chair Calgary	Yasmin Jivraj Edmonton	Melody McKnight Red Deer	Shana Yang Calgary

About International Women's Day

International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8 around the globe. IWD has been celebrated globally since 1911 and is an important day that highlights the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

This year’s IWD theme focuses on accelerating action for gender equality. We encourage you to take part in an IWD event within your community and continue supporting women in the arts throughout the year.

Created by the friends and family of the late artist Barbara Spohr, the Barbara Spohr Memorial Award for Photography encourages the development of Canadian contemporary photography by providing financial and creative assistance to a mid-career artist making a compelling contribution to the field. 

This annual award supports one mid-career Canadian artist (Canadian citizen or permanent resident) working in photography to undertake a fully funded residency at the Banff Centre.

Description

During this month-long self-directed residency, the award winner will have

• 24/7 access to the Crich Studio, a Leighton Artist Studio featuring private analogue darkroom facilities.
• access to digital photographic production.
• production support from the photography facilitator at Banff Centre.
• the option of giving a public talk with an associated fee at CARFAC-based rates.

Please note that limited darkroom supplies are available for purchase. The award winner should anticipate bringing supplies as needed for their project.

This residency is designed for participation over the entire program period. Variable dates will not be considered.

Requirements

Applications are open to Canadian mid-career photo-based artists with a strong exhibition record. 

For the purposes of this program, mid-career is defined as having

• a strong body of work with a minimum of ten exhibitions in a professional context, such as artist-run centres, public art galleries, recognized photo festivals, etc.
• 8 to 15 years of professional arts experience.
• demonstrated commitment to professional practice.

Applicants should demonstrate proficiency with darkroom processes, with an awareness of safety procedures.

The program suits those focused on

• working on a specific project.
• creating new works.
• exploring and researching innovative ideas.

Application Deadline: June 18, 2025
Program Dates: Jan 19, 2026 - Feb 13, 2026

For more information and to apply: https://bit.ly/4ksP5fU

Application Deadline: June 11, 2025
Program Dates Jan 12, 2026 - Feb 13, 2026

Banff Artist in Residence (BAiR) - Winter 2026 is designed for visual artists at any stage of their career to focus on their practice in a supportive learning environment. 

Over five weeks, participants are encouraged to self-direct their research and time, as well as cultivate new directions in their work. The experience of artists in residence is further supported through individual studio visits with faculty, workshops, and lectures. In addition, participants have the opportunity to build community, create connections, and share their work with other artists-in-residence and the public.

This program is designed for participation over the entire program period. Variable dates will not be considered.

Participants in this residency will be supported with:

• lectures
• workshops
• peer dialogue
• feedback from experienced faculty members who will be available for both group and one-on-one consultations

Artists are provided with a studio, as well as targeted access to our extensive facilities. This includes:

• access to personal studio spaces equipped for creative work, available 24/7, providing a dedicated environment for artistic expression
• targeted access to shared production facilities and knowledgeable staff who are available to provide technical assistance and support

Facility access is based on availability of facilitators and priority goes to those requesting access in their initial applications. 

This residency is for individual artists and collaborative groups (of no more than two) who have:

• completed formal training in visual arts at the post-secondary level, or 
• equivalent experience and recognition from their peers acquired through traditional knowledge and practices. 

The program is designed to cater to visual artists at all stages of their artistic careers, providing them with tailored opportunities for professional development and creative growth, including:

• ceramicists
• digital media artists
• painters
• paper artists
• photographers
• print-makers
• sculptors

Participants will benefit most if they are comfortable working autonomously in an unstructured environment. The program suits those focused on:

• working on a specific project.
• creating new works.

Priority will be given to artists who have not attended a Visual Arts residency at Banff Centre in the past three years.