Jaimie Isaac facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jamie Isaac
Jaimie Isaac and Leah Decter with '(official denial) trade value in progress' at 180 Projects
Nationality	Sagkeeng First Nation, Canadian
Alma mater	University of British Columbia

Jaimie Isaac is an amazing Anishinaabe artist and curator from Winnipeg, Canada. She helps share Indigenous art and stories with the world.

Jaimie Isaac's Early Life and Education

Jaimie is part Ojibway and British. She is also a member of the Sagkeeng First Nation. This is an Indigenous community in Manitoba.

She studied art history at the University of Winnipeg. She also earned a master's degree from the University of British Columbia. Her studies focused on how to make art spaces more welcoming for Indigenous art.

Jaimie Isaac's Career in Art

Jaimie helped start The Ephemerals Collective. This is a group of all-female Indigenous artists from Winnipeg. She has also been on the boards of many Canadian art groups. These include the Aboriginal Curatorial Collective.

In 2010, Jaimie worked for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. This group gathered stories about residential schools. She was the visual arts coordinator for them.

From 2015 to 2017, Jaimie was an Aboriginal Curatorial Resident. This was at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. The Canada Council for the Arts helped fund this important role.

In 2017, she became the Curator of Indigenous and Contemporary Art. This was also at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Later, in 2021, she became the chief curator at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.

Curating Important Art Shows

In 2017, Jaimie helped create a big art show. It was called INSURGENCE/RESURGENCE. This show was at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. It was their largest show ever of modern Indigenous art. It featured works by 29 different artists.

Jaimie has also curated many other art exhibitions. A curator is someone who chooses and organizes artworks for a show. They help tell a story through the art.

Jaimie Isaac's Art and Writings

Jaimie Isaac is not only a curator but also a writer. She has written about Indigenous art and history. Her writings help people understand different viewpoints.

Selected Writings

• "Reflections on Unsettling Narratives of Denial" in The Land We Are Now: Writers and Artists Unsettle the Politics of Reconciliation (2015).
• "In Dialogue: Scott Benesiinaabandan's waabana’iwewin" in Public 54: Indigenous Art: New Media and the Digital (2016).
• With Leah Decter, "(official denial) trade value in progress: Unsettling Narratives" in Reconcile This! (2012).

Exhibitions Curated or Featured In

• Curated with Julie Nagam, Insurgence/Resurgence, Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2017.
• Vernon Ah Kee: cantchant, Winnipeg Art Gallery.
• Curator, Border X, Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2016.
• Curator, We Are On Treaty Land, Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2015-2016.
• Quiyuktchigaewin; Making Good, Winnipeg Art Gallery.
• With Leah Decter, official denial (trade value in progress), a traveling art project, across Canada, 2011-2015.
• Creator, Burning an Effigy, film, 2014.

Awards and Recognitions

Jaimie Isaac has been recognized for her important work.

• She was part of the Canada Council for the Art's Indigenous group. This group went to the Venice Biennale in 2017. The Venice Biennale is a very famous international art show.
• She was a finalist for the Making a Difference Award. This was from the Winnipeg Arts Council in 2017.