Please join us for a visiting artist talk with artist Wendy Deschene and guest artist Jeff Schmuki on Friday, January 27, 11am-12pm, in the Fine Arts Center room 113.

Wendy Deschene is a Canadian-born artist of indigenous Métis heritage. Métis is the French word for mixed blood and a distinct indigenous people born between First Nations people and French fur traders who created a unique cultural identity of nomadic buffalo hunters. Not having classic tribal affiliations or legal recognition (until 1982) and arguments over definitions about what Metis means, has minimized this rich culture. A part of the contemporary native experience is the erasure of identity. Even though Métis, Deschene struggles with that identity. Growing up in suburbia but from Metis family, could she be labeled a "Pretendian" (a label is given to people who claim to be Indian but are not accepted by that society) and have part of her heritage dismissed, too? 

Part of her lecture will include her collaborator and environmental artist Jeff Schmuki. They will discuss their ongoing collaborative projects including "PlantBot Genetics" an environmental art organization working on advancing important sustainability goals for our future.

Deschene will also be displaying some of her new works in the Fine Arts Center Lobby. Her exhibit Otipemisiwak will be on display from Jan. 27 through Mar. 3, 2023.