The painter
Jane Ash Poitras overcame a childhood of hardship to become one of Canada’s most acclaimed artists.
Internationally acclaimed visual artist Jane Ash Poitras (’77 BSc, ’83 BFA) had a difficult start in life. Born on the Mikisew Cree First Nation in Fort Chipewyan, she was orphaned at the age of six and adopted by an elderly German woman who found her on the street in Edmonton. When the woman tried to enrol her in school, she was told Poitras was mentally disabled. So the woman began to teach Poitras herself.
As a youngster, Poitras spent many hours drawing, colouring, cutting and pasting. Despite her artistic leanings, she pursued a more pragmatic route, obtaining a bachelor of science degree in microbiology from the University of Alberta in 1977. Later, while working as a microbiologist, she was encouraged by friends to present a portfolio of her artwork to the U of A’s Department of Art and Design. She was accepted, and earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in printmaking from the U of A in 1983. Poitras then received her master’s degree in printmaking from Columbia University.
Poitras’ art uses the layering of paint, ready-made images and text to explore issues and ideas related to the Indigenous experience in North America. Her work has been exhibited around the world, and can be found in numerous public collections, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Brooklyn Museum and Yale University.
A longtime sessional lecturer at the U of A, Poitras is also a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. She has garnered numerous awards acknowledging her artistic achievements, including the Alberta Centennial Medal in 2005, the National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Arts and Culture and the U of A Award of Excellence in 2006, as well as the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artist Award in 2011 and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013. In 2007, the Fort Chipewyan community presented Poitras with the Mikisew Cree First Nation Member Recognition Award. Poitras has also received honorary degrees from Humber College (2013), the University of Calgary (2015) and the U of A (2015).
For almost as long as there’s been a Canada, there’s been a University of Alberta. Over the next year, in honour of Canada’s 150th anniversary, we’re proudly celebrating the people, achievements and ideas that contributed to the making of a confederation.
