Star Crop Eared Wolf

PISÁTSSAISSKIIKSI (Flowers)

March 10 – April 28

This Prairie Crocus exhibition runs in conjunction with the current Main Space Exhibition, Ii’pait’aapiiyisinn: Art in the Contemporary and Ancient Blackfoot Way of Life, curated by Evelyn Mikayla Martin (Itsooaakii).

PISÁTSSAISSKIIKSI (Flowers) explores the relationships between the land, plants/flowers and people. In this installation Indigenous flowers used by the Blackfoot, including Kippiapii (prairie crocus) and Áóhtoksóoki (yarrow), are constructed from seed beads that are scanned and transformed into enlarged vinyl prints. The soil and dried flowers at the base further develop a narrative centered around people and the environment. The soil represents the land from which these flowers are grown and collected. These plants are the foundation for our traditional medicines and healing practices. The relationship between nature and people speaks to their duality, their essential interconnectivity: we see that we are the land and the land is us.

Materials: Vinyl prints, beads, dried flowers, soil

Star Crop Eared Wolf is a Niitsiitapi multidisciplinary artist and member of the Kainai Nation and Blackfoot Confederacy. Crop Eared Wolf graduated from The University of Lethbridge with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Native Art and Museum Studies. As an artist, educator and researcher she is a strong advocate for Native art, history and Niitsiitapi cultural preservation. Crop Eared Wolf’s past and current media include painting, sculpture, photography, video and beading. She uses her art practices to explore themes centered around Land, culture, social and political issues impacting Indigenous peoples.