Faye HeavyShield

Faye HeavyShield (born 1953) is a Kainai First Nations sculptor and installation artist. She is known for her repetitive use of objects and writing to create large-scale, often minimal, site-specific installations.

Background HeavyShield, the third youngest out of 12 siblings, grew up on the North End of the Blood Reserve 148 in Alberta, where her father managed a ranch. As a youth she attended Catholic school at St. Mary's Residential. Growing up on the Reserve she spoke Blackfoot and English and spent quite a bit of time with her grandmother who told her oral history of the Kainai, or Blood people, who are part of the Blackfoot Confederacy.

In 1980 HeavyShield enrolled in the Alberta College of Art and Design and later obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Calgary in 1986.

In 2007 HeavyShield narrated and acted in "Legends of Kainai: Stories from the Blackfoot People of Southern Alberta" produced by the CBC.

Upon entering the Alberta College of Art she began to explore artistic styles finding herself drawn to working with her hands through sculpture and large-scale installations. Creating these works gave her a feeling of immersion in the materials and concepts behind the pieces.

Feminism In the 1990s, HeavyShield was one of the forerunners in the Canadian feminist art movement. Numerous works during the decade reflected on femininity and womanhood. In 1993 she created sisters: a circle of six pairs of high heels with the toes pointed outward. The installation, representing HeavyShield and her five sisters, symbolizes the strength of women. Utilizing shoes again in 1994's she: a room full of women she brings together twelve pairs of women's and girls' shoes spray painted matte black. This piece is the first time that HeavyShield utilized her own words (eventually bringing her poetry into future work) with framed black and white panels over each pair of shoes, representing "everywoman". The Art of Faye Heavyshield (2022), 40-year retrospective, MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina. Native Artist Collaboration: Faye HeavyShield (2023-2025), Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis, Missouri.

Notable collections Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art Heard Museum National Gallery of Canada

Notable awards Eiteljorg Fellowship for Native American Fine Art, 2009, Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art