Hannah Claus facts for kids

Hannah Claus (born February 7, 1969) is a talented artist. She creates amazing visual art. Hannah is part English and part Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk). She belongs to the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nation. Her art often makes you feel like you are in a special place. It makes you think about time and different things around us. Hannah's art also explores big ideas like community, who we are, new changes, and how people connect.

About Hannah Claus

Hannah Claus was born on February 7, 1969. Her birthplace was Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. She is a member of the Kenhtè:ke (Mohawk of the Bay of Quinte) community. Hannah grew up in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick, with her family.

In 1988, Hannah moved to Ottawa, Ontario. She studied English Literature at the University of Ottawa. Later, in 1993, she moved to Toronto. There, she joined the Visual Arts program at the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD). She finished her studies with honors in 1997.

Hannah then moved to Montreal, Quebec, in 2001. She earned her Master of Fine Arts degree from Concordia University in 2004. Today, she still lives and works in Tiohtià:ke, which is Kanien’kehá:ka territory. She lives there with her partner and two children.

Hannah's Community Work

Hannah Claus has always been very active in art communities. In Toronto, she helped run an artist-led center called A-Space. In Montreal, she worked with Centre d’art Optica.

From 2013 to 2018, she was on the board of the Aboriginal Curatorial Collective. This group helps Indigenous artists and curators. She was even the vice-president for some time.

In 2018, Hannah joined the Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM). She helped create a special committee for Indigenous arts. She also helped hire someone to manage Indigenous art projects. In 2019, Hannah co-founded daphne. This was the first Indigenous-led artist center in Tiohtià:ke. She started it with other artists like Skawennati and Nadia Myre. She is still an active member of its board.

Hannah's Teaching Career

Hannah also worked as an artistic director at Axenéo7. This is an artist-run center in Gatineau, Quebec. She taught about modern Indigenous art at Concordia University. She also taught at McGill University and Institut Kiuna College.

Since 1999, Hannah has been a professional artist. Her art installations have been shown in many places. These include Canada, the United States, Europe, and New Zealand. In 2020, she became a full-time Assistant Professor. She teaches Studio Art at Concordia University in Montreal.

Hannah's Art Education

Hannah Claus earned her Associate's degree from the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto. She graduated with honors in 1997. She studied drawing, painting, and sculpture.

Hannah felt that art school focused too much on ideas. She wanted to create art that was also beautiful. So, she chose to focus on installation art. This type of art fills a space and makes you feel part of it. She then earned her Master of Fine Arts degree. This was in Studio Arts from Concordia University in Montreal in 2004.

Selected Artworks

Hannah Claus has created many unique art pieces. Here are some of her well-known works.

"Cloudscape" (2012)

"Cloudscape" was a solo art show. It was at the Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre in Ontario. This artwork hung from the ceiling. It was made from special film, thread, and glue.

The art piece was inspired by the Haudenosaunee creation story. This story tells about the Sky-Woman. She was a pregnant woman who fell from the sky. She helped create human life on Earth. The white hanging discs in "Cloudscape" look like clouds. They are meant to show what the Sky-Woman's home might have looked like. These "clouds" fill the room. They make you feel surrounded by the art. This artwork helps us think about community and creativity.

"Water song" (2014)

"Water song" was another hanging art piece. It was part of an exhibition called "Inaabiwin." This show was at the Ottawa Art Gallery in Ontario. "Inaabiwin" means "movement of light" in Anishnaabemowin. Hannah showed this by using thin discs that moved and reflected light.

This artwork was made from digital prints on acetate, thread, and plexiglass. The discs hung from the ceiling. They had pictures of rivers, branches, and nature on them. Hannah was inspired by rivers important to the Miami Tribe and other Indigenous groups. The shape of the installation looks like sound waves. It is meant to remind us of a traditional Mi'kmaw water song. This song thanks the rivers and oceans. Singers from Listuguj shared this song with Hannah.

Hannah also honored the Haudenosaunee's wampum belt. Wampum belts are special beaded belts. They often represent agreements and peace. Hannah's art shows how rivers connect things, like the wampum belt shows unity.

"Words that are lasting" (2018)

In 2018, Hannah Claus won a contest. She created an Indigenous art installation for the Queen's University Law building. This artwork used clear and frosted acrylic sheets. It was the first time she showed a wampum belt physically in her art.

Real wampum belts are made from shell beads. Indigenous peoples used them for many things. These included decoration, ceremonies, and agreements. Hannah's belts hang from the ceiling in the university hall. Six of them are based on real Haudenosaunee Confederacy belts. These include the Everlasting Tree and the Two Row Wampum. Hannah also created a seventh belt. It honors the Kanienkehá:ka, Algonquin, and Mississauga nations. These nations live in the area where the university stands.

Her artwork shows peace, living together, and agreements. It reminds students and staff about history. It also encourages them to value these important "living" treaties.

"Trade is ceremony" (2019)

"Trade is ceremony" was part of Hannah's "trade-treaty-territory" exhibition. This show was at the Dunlop Art Gallery in Regina, Saskatchewan. The artwork was made with copper pins and a wool blanket.

Hannah was inspired by old handwriting in North West Company records. These records were from the early fur trade in the 1500s. She found it hard to read the old writing. This made her think about how difficult trading must have been for her ancestors.

Each piece in the "trade-treaty-territory" exhibition shows an element of the Earth. "Trade is ceremony" shows fire. Copper lines spread out like fire. Hannah uses light and shadows in her art. She creates a space that questions Western ideas. The artwork also represents peace between Indigenous nations and the French. Hannah wants viewers to think about sharing knowledge and resources. These are important for peaceful living.

Selected Exhibitions

Here are some places where Hannah Claus's art has been shown.

Solo exhibitions:

• "Question de temps" Place Ville Marie, Montreal, Quebec 2013
• "Cloudscape" Modern Fuel ARC, Ontario, Canada Jan 11, 2014-Feb 22, 2014
• "Our minds are one" National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa Sept 20, 2014-Jan 4, 2015
• "Akikpautik/kanatso" L'Imagier Art Centre, Gatineau, Quebec 2016
• "Hochelaga rock" McGill Campus Montreal, Quebec Oct. 21-Nov 19, 2017
• "Earth. sea. sky. constellations for my relations" MAI (Montreal Arts Interculturels) Feb.15-Mar.17, 2018
• "Spatial codifications" YYZ Toronto, Ontario Sept. 28-Nov. 30, 2019
• "Trade-treaty-territory" Dunlop Sherwood Gallery Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada Jan 17-Mar 13 2020
• "There's a reason for our connection" McCord Museum, Montreal, Quebec Mar 7-Aug 2019

Group exhibitions:

• "Sentier art3" Belle Rivière Park, Mirabel, Quebec July 30-Aug 10, 2014
• "Reading the Talk" Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa, Ontario Sept. 20, 2014-Jan. 4, 2015
• "Territoire (Land)" Louise-et-Reuben-Cohen Art Gallery, Moncton, New Brunswick Oct. 25-Dec. 17 2017
• "In/visible: Body as Reflective Site" Visual Arts Centre at the McClure Gallery, Montreal, Quebec June 7–29, 2019
• "Red Embers," Allan Gardens Conservatory, Toronto, Ontario June 8-Oct 3, 20
• "Undomesticated" Koffler Centre of the Arts, Toronto, Ontario Sept. 18-Nov. 2019
• "AYEMIYEDAN NISIN (Dialogue 3)" Rouyn-Noranda Exhibition Center, Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec June 7-Sept 29, 2019
• "Voices of the World" Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Quebec Sept 28-Nov 30 2019
• "Inaabiwin" Ottawa Art Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario Oct 4, 2019-Jan 19, 2020
• "Blurring the Line" Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States Nov. 16 to Feb. 2, 2019
• "Àbadakone / Continuous Fire / Feu continuel" National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario Nov 8, 2019- Apr 5, 2020
• Radical Stitch, MacKenzie Art Gallery (2022).

Art Collections

Hannah Claus's artwork can be found in several important collections:

• Allan Gardens Conservatory
• Canada Council Art Bank
• City of Montreal
• Department of Global Affairs
• Dunlop Art Gallery
• Eiteljorg Museum
• Koffler Centre of the Arts
• L’Imagier Art Centre
• McClure Gallery
• McCord Museum
• Museum of Art of Canada
• National Gallery of Canada
• Ottawa Art Gallery
• Place Ville Marie
• Rouyn-Noranda Exhibition Center

Awards and Recognition

Hannah Claus has received special honors for her art.

In 2018, she won the Queen's University Law building art contest. This is where she created her artwork "Words that are lasting."

In 2019, Hannah Claus was chosen for the Eiteljorg Contemporary Art Fellowship. She and five other artists received a $25,000 award. Their art also became a permanent part of the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art collection.

See also

• Native American Women in the arts
• Visual Arts by indigenous peoples of the Americas
• List of Native American artists