Poitras, Jane Ash Mixed Media Painting ” Nature is the Invaluable Teacher Of Humans”

Detailed description provided by Jane. Jane Ash Poitras — Mikisew Spirit I am working on the text of a process that spans my entire practice, and most recently my concerns. I reflect and comment on our past and present — I explore that time between colonization and healing. These last two years, 2021–2023, have been a complete shock. Through media saturation and the elevation of conspiracy theories over science, we now find ourselves in a post-truth era that even my Indigenous lens finds confounding. Yet, as I watch in despair, I know our ancestors are also watching. I must continue to bear witness to what’s happening — the chaos and greed, the fires and floods, the poisoned rivers, the unmarked graves, and the deafening silence that follows — to name just a few. This is a time of darkness. To move forward, we need to walk together — across cultures, traditions, beliefs, and systems. We must listen to the Elders, the Water Protectors, and the Land Defenders. We must protect our future. It is not just an Indigenous future — it is a shared future. Jane Ash Poitras (Cree) Jane Ash Poitras is one of Canada’s most celebrated visual artists and is internationally known for her powerful mixed-media works that explore Aboriginal history and culture. Born in Fort Chipewyan, Alberta, Poitras is a member of the Mikisew Cree First Nation and received early education in Edmonton, Alberta. She earned a BSc in Microbiology from the University of Alberta, followed by a BFA in printmaking and painting from the same university. She later completed an MFA from Columbia University in New York. Poitras has exhibited her work in hundreds of solo and group exhibitions and her pieces are included in major collections across Canada and abroad. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Order of Canada and membership in the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.