Métis Rose III
Métis Rose III
Lisa Shepherd & Kristi Bridgeman
The Métis matriarchs of early British Columbia, often in the historical shadows of their husbands, were well educated, had the ability to speak many languages and could carry on the business of the trade. At the same time, their knowledge of plant medicine and ability to live off the land, ensured survival when everywhere west of the Rockies was still considered wild. Their mastery of beadwork, embroidery and functional leather work was much sought after and, through trade, provided means for their families. In the Pacific Northwest (British Columbia), it was Métis women who married HBC officers and were therefore, for a brief period of time, within the upper echelons of society.
Métis Rose III is dedicated to Isabella Mainville Ross. Isabella was a Métis woman of Anishinaabe and French lineage who married HBC Chief Trader Charles Ross with whom she had nine children. She was known as a strong and courageous woman who knew the plants and their medicinal uses. A decade after her husband died, Isabella purchased 99 acres of land near Fort Victoria, making her the first female landowner in British Columbia.
Mixed media: moose hide, velveteen, glass and metal beads, porcupine quills, sepia ink and watercolour on paper.
The original artwork is 26” x 26” and has been shadow box framed with archival and anti-glare glass. Price: $4200.00
The canvas print is 24" x 24", stretched on a 1.5" frame, with a black edge finish and is finished with a matt UV film to enhance the colors and protect your print from scratches and fading. The canvas print is ready for hanging as is, or you could frame it in a floater frame. Please allow three weeks for delivery. Price: $450.00
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AboutForget-me-not, Métis Rose: the Far West
Forget-me-not, Métis Rose: the Far West is the third body of collaborative work in the Forget-me-not, Métis Rose touring exhibition by cousins Lisa Shepherd and Kristi Bridgeman. The Far West collection celebrates the culture, tenacity and indeed the very existence of Métis people in British Columbia. The first Forget-me-not, Métis Rose collection showed at the Jasper Museum & Archives and celebrated the Métis stories and the plants endemic to that area, while the second collection showed at the Musée Heritage Museum in St. Albert, Alberta, and told a broader story of the Métis across the prairies. This latest collection, the Far West, localizes the story for the Métis of British Columbia, an often invisible group of people too often viewed through a pan-Indigenous lens. These are their distinct stories.
About the collaboration
Lisa Shepherd and Kristi Bridgeman, Métis artists, met serendipitously through an artist group, where they exchanged stories of family and ancestry. As they pieced together their stories, they began to realize their connection through their common ancestor Suzette Swift. With Suzette watching over them, the artists share their knowledge, explore their culture and create a collaborative body of work honour their Grandmothers and Métis ancestral designs.