Kali Spitzer facts for kids

Kali Spitzer (born 1987) is a talented photographer from Canada. She is part of the Kaska Dena First Nation. Her family comes from the Yukon and Lower Post, British Columbia. Her mother's family is Jewish from Transylvania, Romania.

Learning Photography

Kali Spitzer studied photography at the Western Academy of Photography. She also learned from a famous photographer, Will Wilson. This was at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Her Photography Work

Kali Spitzer uses different types of cameras and film. She works with 35mm, 120, and large format film. She also uses an old method called wet plate collodion process. This involves using an 8-by-10 camera.

She loves taking pictures of people, which are called portraits. She also photographs important traditions and ceremonies in her community. When she was 20, she went back to the Yukon. This is where she grew up. She documented cultural activities there. These included hunting, fishing, trapping, and preparing moose and caribou hides. She also photographed beading.

Kali Spitzer uses a special old photography method called tintype. This helps her show Indigenous people in a new, respectful way. Her work helps to tell their stories.

In 2017, Kali Spitzer received an award. It was called the Reveal Indigenous Art Award. This award came from the Hnatyshyn Foundation.

One of her photographs is called Sister (2016). This picture was used to create a sculpture. The sculpture is named Every One. It is part of a special art project. The project is called the MMIWQT Bead Project. Artist Cannupa Hanska Luger led this project. Over 4,000 clay beads were made by people across North America. These beads helped create a portrait. The project aimed to honor and remember Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people.

Art Shows

Kali Spitzer's art was shown at the Contemporary Native Art Biennial in 2018.

She has also had exhibitions at several art museums and centers. These include the Sherbrooke Museum of Fine Arts in Quebec. Her work was also shown at the Portland Art Museum's Center for Contemporary Native Art. Other places include the Never Apart Centre in Montreal, Quebec. She also exhibited at the grunt gallery in Vancouver, British Columbia.