Michelle LaVallee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michelle LaVallee
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Michelle LaVallee
October 26, 1977 Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
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| Nationality | Nawash First Nation (Canadian) |
| Education | York University |
| Known for | Acrylic paint, mixed media |
Michelle LaVallee is a Canadian artist, curator, and teacher. She is Ojibway and a member of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation in Cape Croker, Ontario. She earned degrees from York University in Toronto in 2000 and 2004.
Later, LaVallee studied Art History and Curatorial Studies at the University of Regina in Regina, Saskatchewan. She focused on how Indigenous art is presented and understood in museums. She worked as a curator at the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina from 2007. In 2013, she received an award for her excellent work in the arts in Regina. Michelle LaVallee cares deeply about helping people understand histories that have been misunderstood. Her ideas come from working with Indigenous people in Canada, El Salvador, Australia, and New Zealand.
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What a Curator Does
Michelle LaVallee started her work as a curator in 2005 at Aspace gallery in Toronto. A curator is like a storyteller for art. They choose artworks, plan exhibitions, and help people understand the art. From 2007 to 2017, she was a curator at the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina, Saskatchewan. After that, she worked at the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada Art Centre in Gatineau, Quebec.
Exhibitions LaVallee Curated
LaVallee's curatorial work often looks at how colonization has shaped Canadian culture. She has organized many shows that highlight stories of resistance. One important exhibition was 7: Professional Native Indian Artists Inc. This show featured famous First Nations artists like Jackson Beardy, Eddy Cobiness, Alex Janvier, Norval Morrisseau, Daphne Odjig, Carl Ray, and Joseph Sanchez.
This exhibition celebrated the first group of First Nations artists in Canada to form an official organization. These artists met in the 1970s and wanted to be recognized as professional artists. The show opened at the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina on September 21, 2013. A book about the exhibition won three awards in 2015. The exhibition also traveled to other cities, including Winnipeg, Kelowna, and Kleinburg, Ontario.
International Art Events
Michelle LaVallee was chosen to attend major art events around the world. These included the Asia Pacific Triennial in Brisbane in 2015, the Venice Biennale in 2011, and the Biennale of Sydney in 2010 and 2008. In 2006, she received a grant to help Aboriginal curators. In 2013, she spoke at the University of Manitoba about bringing Indigenous art and ideas into universities.
Michelle LaVallee's Art
As an artist, Michelle LaVallee uses acrylic paints and different materials together. Her unique three-dimensional artworks often include materials that are important to the Anishinaabeg culture. One of her art installations, first shown in Ottawa in 2007, has traveled to different places. Her visual art, which often uses traditional Native symbols, has been shown in many group exhibitions across Canada.
Selected Curatorial Projects
- 2015: Moving Forward, Never Forgetting (Co-Curator), MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina, Saskatchewan
- 2013: 7 Professional Native Indian Artists Inc., Mackenzie Art Gallery
- 2012: 13 Coyotes: Edward Poitras, Mackenzie Art Gallery
- 2009: Blow Your House In: Vernon Ah Kee, Mackenzie Art Gallery
- 2008: Wally Dion, Mackenzie Art Gallery
- 2008: Miss Chief: Shadow Catcher – Kent Monkman, Mackenzie Art Gallery
- 2007: Re/translation: Land & Language, A Space, Toronto, Ontario
Exhibitions Featuring Her Art
- 2012: Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation 3, Museum of Arts and Design, New York City, New York
- 2010: Love, Saskatchewan, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Ontario
- 2009: Flatlanders: Saskatchewan Artists on the Horizon, Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
- 2008: Myths of the Land, Ottawa Art Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario (this show included art from members of the Professional Native Indian Artists Inc.)
