An exhibition of thesis work by BFA graduates of the IshKaabatens Waasa Gaa Inaabateg Department of Visual Art, Brandon University.

Building their exhibitions during the collective trauma of 2020, these artists, like many of us, are wrestling with the urge to forget and the will to remember. Whether by holding on to a fleeting moment or imagining an end to grief, the works included in Lasting document a gentle insistence on self-determination.

VIEW THE BROCHURE YOUTUBE PLAYLIST OF EXHIBITION

Artist Biographies

Melanie Barnett is an emerging ceramicist and arts professional currently living on Treaty 2 territory in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, and is originally from Grandview, Manitoba. Barnett’s work utilizes concepts surrounding home, familiarity, land, and environmental theory to comment on the climate crisis and her relationship to the planet.

Barnett has recently completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts (honours) in Ceramics at Brandon University, and has exhibited work at galleries and venues across Manitoba, as well as at Nuit Blanche Regina (Saskatchewan) in 2019.

Eleni Kilbride is an emerging visual artist of mixed European and Ojibway ancestry from Swan Lake First Nation. Eleni is largely influenced by her experiences as a mother and her intersectional identity and explores this with concepts pertaining to connection, reflection, and collaboration. She has recently completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts (honours) in Painting from Brandon University and has exhibited work in group and solo exhibitions in the Southwestern Region of Manitoba. Eleni is the recipient of multiple awards, including the Recognize Scholarship for the 2020/2021 school year. Her thesis exhibition was created with the generous support of the Manitoba Arts Council.

Linda Aleta Tame has recently attained a Bachelor of Fine Arts (honours) and is now working from her home studio in Brandon, Manitoba. Her art has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in Manitoba’s Southwest Region. She established and operated Artist Heart Studio & Gallery in downtown Brandon where local and regional artists were inspired and recognized from 2018-2020.

This body of work was therapeutic in nature, and expresses the navigation through endurance. She attempts to capture the intangible mysteries that both complicate and enrich our lives. Tame says, “The task is at least a challenge and at best a sense of wonder.”

Blaire Trenaman is a Canadian based artist who graduated from Brandon University with a BFA (honours) in Ceramics. Trenaman is a mixed media artist who concentrates in 3-dimensional art, ceramics and sculpture. Trenaman’s personal practice focuses on concepts of queer theory, feminism, and experiments with media. Her current work uses fragile materials as a way of provoking emotions about separation, time, and temporariness. Trenaman has been part of both solo and group exhibitions, and participated in Nuit Blanche Regina (2019).