First Winners of Governor General’s Innovation Awards
OTTAWA—The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General is pleased to announce the inaugural winners of the Governor General’s
Espanola, Ontario
Raising awareness and creating momentum for indigenous culture
Nominated by:
CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS
Year: 2016
About the Innovation
Christi Belcourt uses cutting-edge applied arts and design and new technologies in an effort to raise awareness and to create momentum toward innovative societal change while respecting traditional protocols and ancestral cultural traditions. Her initiatives relate to a wide range of social issues and she champions forward-looking collaborations that are models of respectful partnerships and principled adaptation of indigenous cultural influence.
About the Innovator
Christi Belcourt is a Métis visual artist with a deep respect for the traditions and knowledge of her people. The majority of her art explores and celebrates the beauty of the natural world. Her work has been commissioned by the Gabriel Dumont Institute, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, the Centre for Traditional Knowledge / Museum of Nature, and the Indian and Inuit Art Collection, and is found in the permanent collections of the Thunder Bay Art Gallery and the First People’s Hall of the Canadian Museum of History. Ms. Belcourt is a past recipient of awards from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Chalmers Family Fund and the Métis Nation of Ontario.
