Ruth Cuthand facts for kids

Ruth Cuthand (born 1954) is a Canadian artist with Plains Cree and Scottish family roots. She is known for her powerful art that explores important topics like how different cultures interact and the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada. Ruth Cuthand uses her art to share new ways of looking at history and the relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. She often uses strong messages, humor, and a unique style in her work.

Early life and education

Ruth Cuthand was born in 1954 on Treaty 6 Land, close to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. She is a member of the Little Pine First Nation. She spent much of her childhood in Cardston, Alberta, near the Blood Reserve. When she was only 8 years old, she met artist Gerald Tailfeathers. This meeting inspired her to become an artist herself.

Ruth Cuthand studied art at the University of Saskatchewan. She earned her first degree in 1983 and a master's degree in 1992. Between these studies, she also did some extra work at the University of Montana in 1985. She started her art journey with printmaking, but later switched to painting. For more than 20 years, Cuthand taught art and art history at the First Nations University of Canada and the University of Regina.

Art career

In 1990, Ruth Cuthand had her first solo art show called S. Ruth Cuthand: The Trace of Ghost Dance. It was held at the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina. This show featured painted shirts and dresses. These artworks were inspired by the ghost dance religion, a movement among Plains First Nations groups in the 1800s. Cuthand used these pieces to show peaceful ways of standing up against unfair power.

Her art show, BACK TALK (works 1983–2009), traveled to many galleries across Canada. It was shown in Saskatoon in 2011, Charlottetown in 2012, Halifax in 2012, and Winnipeg in 2014. The book that went with the exhibition was written in both Cree and English. It was even nominated for an award! In 2016, she was part of a group show at Wanuskewin Heritage Park called Cardston, Alberta, 1959–1967.

Since 2006, Cuthand has been creating pieces for a series called Trading. This series looks at how diseases and the arrival of new people affected Indigenous communities. She uses colorful beads to create images of tiny bacteria and viruses, like those that cause influenza, measles, and smallpox. These beaded artworks look like what you might see under a microscope.

Cuthand also created a new art series based on her Trading Series. This new work focuses on the problem of unsafe water in some First Nations communities. In 2015, her exhibition Don't Drink, Don't Breathe was shown in Prince Albert. For this show, she made beaded images of germs found in water. She then put these beaded germs into glasses filled with a clear material, making them look like glasses of water. This art helps people think about important issues in Canada. A version of this artwork is now part of the collection at the Art Gallery of Ontario. In 2019, her beaded art was shown at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa as part of a big international art show.

After the Trading series, Cuthand continued to explore similar ideas in her collections Reserving and Surviving. In 2020, she added new artworks to the Surviving collection called Surviving COVID-19. Some of these pieces feature beads on a white face mask. The beads represent the tiny COVID-19 virus. These artworks continue to highlight how diseases affect Indigenous communities.

Ruth Cuthand currently lives and works in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Art themes

Ruth Cuthand's art often explores deep and thought-provoking topics. She looks at how different cultures have interacted throughout history and how Indigenous people have been treated. Her work also touches on the lasting effects of things like residential schools and unfair treatment.

For example, her Trading series uses beadwork to show the viruses that European traders brought to First Nation communities. This helps people understand the historical impact of these diseases. Cuthand is not afraid to talk about difficult subjects in her art. She once said that she uses her art to challenge common ideas and stereotypes.

In 2021, her exhibition "Beads in the blood" focused on mental health. She used special beads that glow in the dark to represent brain scans related to different mental health conditions, including PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). This part of her work connects to the lasting effects of historical events on Indigenous communities.

Awards and recognition

Ruth Cuthand has received many important awards for her art. In 2013, she was given the Saskatchewan Artist Award at the Lieutenant Governor's Arts Awards. In 2016, she was honored as an "Alumni of Influence" by the University of Saskatchewan. In 2020, she received a Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts, which is one of Canada's highest honors for artists. In 2021, she was given an honorary doctorate degree from OCAD University.

Exhibitions and collections

Ruth Cuthand's art has been shown in many solo and group exhibitions. Some of these include shows at the Mendel Art Gallery (Saskatoon), Thunder Bay Art Gallery (Thunder Bay), and the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa).

Her artworks are also part of important collections across Canada. You can find her pieces at the MacKenzie Art Gallery (Regina), the Mendel Art Gallery (Saskatoon), the Laurentian University Museum, and the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa). Cuthand has also helped organize art shows for other galleries and has served on art juries for organizations like the Canada Council.

Solo exhibitions

• 1990 – Traces of the Ghost Dance, MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina, Saskatchewan
• 1990 – Misuse is Abuse, Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
• 2010 – Dis-Ease, Red Shift Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
• 2011 – BACK TALK: Ruth Cuthand (works 1983–2009), Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
• 2015 – Don't Drink, Don't Breathe, Mann Art Gallery, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
• 2016 – Cardston, Alberta, 1959–1967, Wanuskewin Heritage Park, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
• 2021 – Beads in the blood: Ruth Cuthand, a Survey, University of Saskatchewan, College Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.