// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Wally Dion? A wall-ly good singer.
Wally Dion | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976 (age 49–50) |
| Citizenship | Yellow Quill First Nation and Canadian |
| Education | University of Saskatchewan (BFA, 2004) |
| Alma mater | Rhode Island School of Design (MFA) |
| Website | wallydion |
Wally Dion (born 1976) is a Canadian artist from the Yellow Quill First Nation who lives in Upstate New York. Many of his works reimagine the form of the quilt through non-traditional materials.
Early and personal life
[edit]Wally Dion is a Sauteaux and a member of the Yellow Quill First Nation. He was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 1976.[1][2] He grew up in Saskatoon.[2] He attended the University of Saskatchewan, graduating with a BFA in 2004.[3] He later earned an MFA at the Rhode Island School of Design.[3]
Work
[edit]Dion's earlier quilts were made from repurposed circuit boards.[1][4]
Dion's ongoing series Grass Quilts, which began in 2022,[1] involves using transparent and translucent fabric to make quilts, which are meant to be exhibited outdoors in the wind.[5] The first piece in the series was born from an artist residence in Wanuskewin Park.[1][6] It was originally intended to be a layered piece, with different elements symbolizing prairie grass and the reintroduction of bison; due to time constraints, Dion pivoted instead to a single layer.[1] The series is meant to illustrate how ecosystems are composed of multiple fragile pieces.[6]
Dion has also worked with printmaking, painting, and sculpture.[2][3]
Personal
[edit]Dion is based out of Binghamton, New York.[5]
Exhibitions
[edit]Solo
[edit]- skodenstoodis, University of Saskatchewan (May-August 2022)[3]
Group
[edit]- Before and after the Horizon: Anishinaabe Artists of the Great Lakes, National Museum of the American Indian (2013-2014)[7][8]
- Connective Tissue: New Approaches to Fiber in Contemporary Native Art, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (2017)[9]
- The Art of the People: Contemporary Anishinaabe Artists, Muskegon Museum of Art (2020)[10]
- Remai Modern[3]
- Host, Bonavista Biennale (2023)[11]
- un/tangling, un/covering, un/doing, University of the Fraser Valley (2024)[12]
- Stitching the Revolution: Quilts as Agents of Change, Mattatuck Museum (2024)[13]
- Objects USA, R & Company (2024)[14]
- Manual Assembly , The Joan and Martin Goldfarb Gallery of York University (2024)[15]
Collections
[edit]Dion's works are held in multiple collections, including:
- Saskatchewan Arts Board ("Star Blanket" (2006))[3]
- Portland Art Museum ("Green Star Quilt" (2019))[4]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 Katsikopoulou, Myrto (2024-08-05). "iridescent quilts by wally dion celebrate indigenous identity and great plains landscapes". designboom | architecture & design magazine. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
- 1 2 3 Tousley, Nancy (2024-08-05). "Printmakers Jillian Ross and Wally Dion Collaborate at Remai Modern". Galleries West. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Boklaschuk, Shannon (2022-05-12). "Exploring Indigenous identity and resistance". University of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
- 1 2 michaelsmith (2021-10-10). "Write Around PAM: Wally Dion". Portland Art Museum. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
- 1 2 Ebert, Grace (2024-08-02). "Vivid, Translucent Quilts by Wally Dion Stitch Together Indigenous Culture and Making Traditions". Colossal. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
- 1 2 Taggart, Emma (2024-08-12). "Stunning Translucent Quilts Honor Indigenous Lands and Culture". My Modern Met. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
- ↑ ""Before and after the Horizon: Anishinaabe Artists of the Great Lakes" Opens in New York Aug. 10". Smithsonian Institution . Retrieved 2025-09-09.
- ↑ Meier, Allison (2014-04-25). "Thunderbirds and Underwater Panthers in an Overlooked American Indian Art History". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
- ↑ Abatemarco, Michael (2017-08-18). "Fiber optics: New approaches to fiber in contemporary Native art". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
- ↑ Miller, Marla R. (2020-11-26). "Reclaiming the Narrative". revuewm.com. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
- ↑ Writer, Guest (2023-10-24). "Bonavista Biennale provides platform for Canadian artists to explore sustainable architecture and art in the most unexpected of places". ICON Magazine. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
- ↑ "Opening of "un/tangling, un/covering, un/doing" at the Surrey Art Gallery – South Asian Studies Institute". University of the Fraser Valley. 2024-05-16. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
- ↑ Gleisner, Jacquelyn (2024-06-14). "Subversive Sewing: "Stitching the Revolution" Highlights Quilting As Radical Artform". Arts Council of Greater New Haven. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
- ↑ Hanley, William (2024-11-26). "The State of the Union: R & Company's "Objects USA" Exhibition Rises Above the Fray". Dwell. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
- ↑ "Quick Pick -- Art Gallery of York University Now The Joan and Martin Goldfarb Gallery". Galleries West. 2024-12-23. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
External links
[edit]- Wally Dion, official website
- Quilting the Map of the Great Plains, The Climate Tribe
- 21st-century Canadian painters
- 21st-century Canadian printmakers
- 21st-century Canadian sculptors
- 21st-century Canadian textile artists
- 21st-century First Nations artists
- 21st-century indigenous painters of the Americas
- Artists from Saskatoon
- Canadian expatriates in the United States
- Canadian Ojibwe people
- First Nations painters
- First Nations printmakers
- First Nations sculptors
- First Nations textile artists
- Ojibwe artists
- Ojibwe male artists
- Quilters
- Rhode Island School of Design alumni
- University of Saskatchewan alumni
- Yellow Quill First Nation
- 1976 births
- Living people
- 21st-century Canadian male painters
- 21st-century Canadian male sculptors