Knowledge Repatriation: Artist Talk by Cynthia Boehm

October 27 @ 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

An image of beaded gauntlet mittens on a purple background, with the words Knowledge Repatriation: Artist Talk.

Presented by MAWA in partnership with the Manitoba Museum.

Cynthia Boehm is a practicing expert in the beadwork and embroidery patterns of her Cree-Métis ancestors, specifically the bold and vibrant designs from her home community of Norway House that were produced during the fur trade in the mid- to late 19th century. She was commissioned by the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre in 2020 to produce a “resilience mask,” and in 2019 was awarded the Barbara Cook Endres First Place Award for her stand-alone floral beaded piece, My Journey Home — Honouring Our Grandmothers, at the Manitoba Society of Artists Provincial Open Juried Competition.

Cynthia’s work is not only reflective of her desire to create beautiful pieces but also to honour her grandmother and her community members, whose work continues to be a source of pride and love.

In this one-hour artist talk, Cynthia Boehm will be discussing her extensive research into recreating her great-grandmother’s beadwork. The presentation will include a display of beadwork brought out of collections storage, including her great-grandmothers work, which will be shared with participants in the HBC laboratory. This artist talk will span generations, celebrating the work of Boehm’s ancestor and other historical bead-workers, whose skill and artistry rivaled that of “masters” in any art form globally.