Nadia Myre

Nadia Myre
Kat Baulu · CC BY 2.0 · source
Name	Nadia Myre
Birth date	1974
Birth place	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Nationality	Canadian, Algonquin
Known for	Beadwork, installation, performance, text-based works
Training	Concordia University; University of Quebec in Montreal
Movement	Contemporary Indigenous art, Conceptual art

Nadia Myre Nadia Myre is a Canadian Algonquin contemporary artist known for conceptual projects that entwine histories of identity, reconciliation, colonization, and collective memory. Her interdisciplinary practice employs beadwork, text, photography, performance, and participatory installation to engage communities and institutions such as the National Gallery of Canada, Canadian Museum of History, and numerous international biennials. She has received major awards and has taught and led community arts initiatives connecting Indigenous and settler audiences through collaborative processes.

Early life and education

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Myre is of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg descent and grew up amid urban and First Nations contexts in Canada, connecting to communities like Kitigan Zibi and organizations such as the Assembly of First Nations. She studied visual arts at Concordia University and earned further training at the Université du Québec à Montréal, participating in artist residencies at institutions such as the Banff Centre and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Her formative years intersected with cultural institutions including the Canadian Centre for Architecture, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and Indigenous cultural networks that informed her engagement with language policies, land claims, and Indigenous legal frameworks. Exposure to mentors and colleagues at galleries like Galerie SAW, Plug In ICA, and the National Gallery of Canada shaped her conceptual orientation.

Artistic practice and themes

Myre's practice centers on beadwork as a conceptual strategy and medium, referencing traditions from Kitigan Zibi and broader Anishinaabeg beadwork techniques while dialoguing with institutions such as the National Gallery of Canada, the Vancouver Art Gallery, and the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal. She integrates text-based works that invoke documents like the Royal Proclamation, the Indian Act, and treaties such as the Jay Treaty, situating individual narratives alongside histories represented by the Canadian Museum of History and the Musée McCord. Collaboration with communities, including partnerships with the Canada Council for the Arts, the Canada Pavilion at international expos, and Indigenous curators from groups like Aboriginal Curatorial Collective, informs projects that consider restitution, archives, and acts of remembrance in contexts involving the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the Glenbow Museum.

Her conceptual concerns intersect with performance and participatory strategies employed by artists working in contemporary Indigenous art movements represented at events like the Venice Biennale, Documenta, and the Whitney Biennial. Myre's exploration of identity engages with figures and institutions such as Kateri Tekakwitha, Egerton Ryerson (in debates around historical commemorations), and cultural policies enacted by provincial ministries and federal departments including Indigenous Services Canada. She often invokes materials associated with domestic labor and craft, transforming them into politically charged sites of memory that negotiate narratives circulated by broadcasters like the CBC, curators at the Art Gallery of Ontario, and scholars at universities such as McGill University and the University of British Columbia.

Major works and exhibitions

Notable projects include "Indian Act" (a text-based work), "The Scar Project" (a long-term participatory piece), and "Tout ce que tu aurais pu être / All That You Could Have Been" (a multi-part exhibition project shown at the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal and touring venues including the MacKenzie Art Gallery and the Ottawa Art Gallery). "The Scar Project" engaged hundreds of participants in beadwork responses, appearing at major venues such as the National Gallery of Canada, the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and international platforms including the New Museum, the Bemis Center, and the Asia Society. Solo exhibitions of her work have been hosted by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, and the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, while group exhibitions have placed her alongside artists featured at the Venice Biennale, the Documenta archive, and biennials such as the Sydney Biennale and the Sharjah Biennial.

She has participated in residency and exhibition programs linked to institutions such as the Canada Council for the Arts, the National Gallery of Canada’s Indigenous Art programming, the Ojibwe cultural centres, and international exchanges with galleries including the Serpentine Galleries, the Tate Modern, and the Museum of Modern Art. Her work has been acquired by collections at the National Gallery of Canada, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, and corporate and university collections across Canada and abroad.

Awards and recognition

Myre received the Sobey Art Award shortlisting and prizes from the Canada Council for the Arts; she is a recipient of Governor General's Awards nominations and has been honored by provincial arts councils such as the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. Her projects have been supported by grants from the Canada Council, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Winnipeg Arts Council, and she has been recognized with fellowships and awards from institutions including the Banff Centre, the British Council, and international cultural agencies. She has been featured in critical reviews and profiles by media outlets including the CBC, The Globe and Mail, Le Devoir, the Toronto Star, and art journals such as Canadian Art and Artforum.

Teaching and community projects

Myre has taught and lectured at universities and art schools including Concordia University, the Ontario College of Art and Design, McGill University, and the University of Ottawa, and she has led workshops and community projects in collaboration with Indigenous organizations such as the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, the Native Women's Association of Canada, and local bands including Kitigan Zibi. Her community-engaged projects have partnered with museums and galleries—such as the National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian Museum of History, and regional art centers—to develop participatory beadwork initiatives, intergenerational storytelling programs, and reconciliation-focused curricula. She has worked with curatorial teams from organizations like the Aboriginal Curatorial Collective and the Indigenous Art Centre to mentor emerging artists and to establish community archives and co-curated exhibitions.

Legacy and influence

Myre's work has contributed significantly to contemporary Indigenous art discourses, influencing curators and artists working with beadwork, text, and participatory methodologies at institutions such as the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, and international biennial circuits including Venice and Documenta. Her practice informs debates within academic departments at universities such as McMaster University, York University, and the University of British Columbia, and continues to inspire programming by cultural agencies like the Canada Council for the Arts and provincial arts organizations. Through community projects and teaching, she has helped shape a generation of artists and curators engaged with Indigenous sovereignty, memory, and cultural resurgence, leaving a lasting impact on collections, exhibitions, and public conversations across Canada and internationally.

Category:Canadian contemporary artists Category:First Nations artists Category:Women artists