Christi Belcourt

Artist, author

• Born: September 1, 1966
• Birthplace: Scarborough, Ontario, Canada

Also known as: Christi Marlene Belcourt

Significance: Christi Belcourt's artwork calls attention to the beauty and mysticism of nature through the eyes of a traditional Canadian aboriginal. Belcourt's work has focused on using the details of plant life to tell a story about the lives of her First Nations ancestors. She has also actively involved herself in a number of indigenous rights causes throughout her career.

Background

Christi Marlene Belcourt was born in September of 1966 in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada. She was the oldest of three siblings born to Anthony Belcourt and Judith Pierce Marti. Her family was of Métis ancestry—a mix of First Nations and European bloodlines—originally hailing from the Lac Ste. Anne settlement in Alberta. Belcourt also had Cree, Mohawk, English, French, and Acadian roots. Belcourt grew up in her grandparents' home in the city of Edmonton. Despite being fluent in Cree/Métis, her grandparents were careful to mostly speak English to their grandchildren. Aboriginal families often encouraged younger generations to adopt European customs so they could get ahead in the predominately white Canadian society.

Belcourt's father was a respected member of the Métis community and led his people for more than three decades. He was also the first elected president of the Native Council of Canada. He moved his family to Ottawa in the 1970s to champion Métis rights to Canada's government. The family permanently settled in Ottawa, where Belcourt and her siblings grew up. Belcourt attended high school in Ottawa until eleventh grade, dropping out to enter the workforce. She held several jobs throughout her late teens. She also began engaging in drugs and alcohol during this time, a phase she referred to as her "dark period."

Life's Work

Belcourt took an interest in painting during her dark period. Throughout her twenties, she experimented with different techniques. In 1990, she met Wilfred Peltier, an elder of the Odawa tribe of First Nations people. Peltier and Belcourt became good friends, and he encouraged her to embrace her First Nations roots. He also introduced her to his sister, Yvonne McRae, who became a mentor to Belcourt. McRae and Peltier taught Belcourt many rituals of the Canadian aboriginal peoples, such as tobacco offerings and sweat lodging. The time she spent with her mentors inspired her artwork. In 1993, Belcourt had a creative breakthrough after observing the intricate beadwork of a pair of mukluk boots McRae had gifted her. She decided to try to paint the beadwork.

Belcourt had also developed an enthusiasm for plant life throughout the 1990s. She spent a great deal of time studying the details of plants and aboriginal beadwork, eventually blending her observations into art. She began painting floral patterns arranged to resemble beadwork. As she continued experimenting with this style, her paintings became highly regarded for their complex detail. In 1998, she was awarded her first artists' grant, the Métis Cultural Grant, from the Métis Nation of Ontario. The following year, she earned an emerging artist grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. Belcourt received a number of Canadian awards and honors over the next two decades of her career.

In 2003, Belcourt relocated to the Manitoulin Island region to be closer to nature. She wanted to study plants and their surrounding lands without the interruption of a busy city. Her work began to take on a more symbolic theme as she honed her craft. Many of her pieces celebrate the spirituality and splendor of the natural world from an indigenous viewpoint. She also used her artwork to send a message to viewers about various issues such as environmental concerns and indigenous rights. Although the majority of her output was paintings for most of her career, Belcourt also utilized other resources such as beads, hides, wool, copper, and clay as creative outlets. She also worked with materials she harvested directly from the earth such as birch bark, plant fibers, and ochre—an iron oxide with a yellow or reddish color.

Alongside her art, Belcourt published a few books throughout the early twenty-first century, including Medicines to Help Us (2008) and Beadwork (2011). Her artwork was also republished in a number of publications and graced the covers of several books. The 2000s and 2010s saw Belcourt's productions receive greater notice. Her works were the subject of two independent short documentaries, 2008's So Much Depends upon Who Holds the Shovel and 2012's A Life in Balance. She also created a stained glass piece commemorating the indigenous survivors of Canada's Christian residential schools in 2011 that was placed on permanent display above the entrance to the parliament building in Ottawa. The following year, she launched the Walking with Our Sisters project, a commemorative art initiative honoring the thousands of native Canadian women murdered in the last three decades. The project later grew to include more than 1,500 artists and a touring exhibit. Belcourt was named the Aboriginal Arts Laureate by the Ontario Arts Council in 2014. That same year, she joined the Onaman Collective, a group of artists who pledged to dedicate their lives and work to justice for indigenous peoples.

Impact

Belcourt's work has earned her numerous honors. She has received multiple grants and awards from the Ontario Arts Council. She was named a finalist for the Premier's Award for Excellence in the Arts three years in a row between 2014 and 2016. In 2016, Belcourt took home a Governor General's Innovation Award. Her artwork often merged her deep fascination with the natural world with her passion for social change and justice for First Nations people. She encouraged other indigenous artists to use their talents to support aboriginal rights. Belcourt's artwork can be found in multiple galleries and museums across Canada. Her work has inspired many artists and creative personalities. In 2015, Italian fashion house Valentino revealed a line of fashion designs based on Belcourt's paintings.

Personal Life

Belcourt is the oldest of three children. Her brother, Shane, is a filmmaker, and her sister, Suzanne, is a graphic designer.

Principal Works: Books

• Medicines to Help Us, 2008
• Beadwork, 2011

Principal Works: Paintings

• Where Have All the Buffalo Gone, 1996
• This Is How We Survived, 2001
• Infinity, 2001
• The Celebration, 2005–2006
• Garden for Lost Dreams, 2006
• Water Song, 2012
• Wisdom of the Universe, 2014
• Fall Harvest, 2015

Bibliography

"Bio." Christi Belcourt, www.christibelcourt.com/bio/. Accessed 3 Mar. 2017.

"Biography Long Version." Christi Belcourt, www.christibelcourt.com/Artist/aboutbiolong.html. Accessed 3 Mar. 2017.

"CV." Christi Belcourt, www.christibelcourt.com/cv/. Accessed 3 Mar. 2017.

Everett-Green, Robert. "Métis Artist Christi Belcourt Inspires Valentino Fashion Line." Globe and Mail, 4 Aug. 2015,www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/art-and-architecture/metis-artist-christi-belcourt-inspires-valentino-fashion-line/article25824113/. Accessed 3 Mar. 2017.

"Main Gallery." Christi Belcourt, www.christibelcourt.com/Gallery/galleryhome.html. Accessed 3 Mar. 2017.

Rynor, Becky. "From the Heart: An Interview with Christi Belcourt." National Gallery of Canada, 2 Oct. 2015, www.ngcmagazine.ca/artists/from-the-heart-an-interview-with-christi-belcourt. Accessed 3 Mar. 2017.