8/8/2019 Belcourt, Christi Marlene: Artist

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Christi Marlene Belcourt.1(b. 1966)

Christi Belcourt is the initiator and Lead Coordinator behind Walking With Our Sisters: A

Commemorative Art Installation for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women of Canada.

This is a large collaborative art piece which displays over 1,!! pairs o" #occasin tops or

$va#ps% co##e#orating and representing an esti#ated &' boriginal wo#en and girls who

have been #urdered or gone #issing in Canada since 1961. The art is currently installed in

*innipeg and is being held at the +rban ha#an -allery "ro# arch '1 to pril 1', '!1.

This pro/ect is about these wo#en, paying respect to their lives and e0istence on this earth.

They are sisters, #others, aunties, daughters, cousins, grand#others, wives and partners. They

have been cared "or, they have been loved, and they are #issing. ach pair o" va#ps representsone #issing or #urdered indigenous wo#an. The un"inished #occasins represent the un"inished

lives o" the wo#en whose lives were cut short by #urder.2ver 13!! artists, so#e who are "a#ily

#e#bers o" the wo#en who are #issing or #urdered, have created these va#ps. The e0hibit,

which started in '!13, will tour "or seven years. The artwor4 and "unding has all been crowd5

sourced as a co##unity e""ort.

Christi Belcourt, etis painter, cra"tsperson, and writer, was born in carborough,2ntario in epte#ber, 1966, the daughter o" Tony Belcourt and udith 7ierce5artin (n8e

treatch). er siblings are graphic designer u:anne Belcourt and "il##a4er hane Belcourt. er

"ather was the "ounding president o" the ;ative Council o" Canada (191519). 7revious to that

he was vice5president o" the 8tis ssociation o" lberta (1969). e recently retired "ro# hisposition as president o" the 8tis ;ation o" 2ntario.

1This is an e0cerpt "ro# L.. Bar4well (d.) Women of the Metis Nation. *innipeg< Louis =iel >nstitute, '11!.

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8/8/2019 Belcourt, Christi Marlene: Artist

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Belcourt is recogni:ed within the 8tis

co##unity as one o" the pree#inent etis

artists in Canada. >n '!!1, art curator

Catherine attes included Christi in her

review o" etis art and artists sayingnstitute, the -abriel u#ont >nstitute, the ;ature Conservancy o" Canada and

the Centre "or Traditional Gnowledge H useu# and ;ature, and is "ound in the per#anent

collections o" the Thunder Bay rt -allery, the Louis =iel >nstitute, the -abriel u#ont >nstitute

and Canadian useu# o" Civili:ation, ?irst 7eoples all. Christi is a past recipient o" awards

"ro# the Canada Council "or the rts, the 2ntario rts Council, the Chal#ers ?a#ily ?und, and

the 8tis ;ation o" 2ntario.

=e"erence