Espanola Indigenous artist Christi Belcourt will receive an Honourary Degree of Letters as part of Wilfrid Laurier University’s 2023 fall convocation ceremonies.
According to the release, Belcourt is an internationally recognized artist, designer, and is also known for her advocacy as a community organizer, environmentalist, social justice advocate, and avid land-based arts and language learner.
Following the tradition of Métis floral beadwork, Belcourt paints large scale floral landscapes and uses subject matter as a metaphor for human existence.
Belcourt’s paintings are found in many collections across North America including the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Gabriel Dumont Institute, the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
She was named 2014 Aboriginal Arts Laureate by the Ontario Arts Council and in 2016 received the Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Arts and a Governor General’s Innovation Award.
The convocation will be held next month.