Pat Bruderer "Bee Resilient" - Birch Bark (Natural)

While some art is made from the hand, this art is made with the teeth. Birch bark bitings are an imprint. Illumination and shadow, teeth and bark. A kaleidoscope of impressions from my life. I was born and raised in Churchill, Manitoba in the 1950’s. My maternal roots are from Southend Reindeer Lake, Saskatchewan. My mothers resilience has impacted me deeply and her spirit is woven into everything I create. I’m a member of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, we’re Assin’skowitiniwak (Rocky Cree). I’m a self taught artist with over thirty years of birch bark biting practice. My art can be found in museums, galleries and private collections across Turtle Island and the world including: USA, Switzerland, France, and Italy.

Along with teaching art presentations to adults and children, I co- operate an art gallery in Nakusp, BC. My latest work includes a cultural art exhibition titled ‘Biting Back Our Cultural Resilience,’ and it’s been circulating in museums and galleries since 2022. I feel a great responsibility as a carrier of this traditional art form as well as for the teachings it holds which are many. I’m a mother, kookoom to many and my relationships continue to thrive. Through cultural resilience, I bite back.

- Pat Bruderer