The Artist Herself

A perceptive look at the ways in which women artists have given profound expression to their identities from colonial times to 1970. From Pauline Johnson's performance costumes representing her dual Mohawk and Euro-Canadian identity to Emily Carr's painting of herself from the back at her easel, from Hannah Maynard's playful photographs of her multiple selves to Pitseolak Ashoona's sly comment on her participation in the Inuit art market, this publication brings to light a rich but unexplored aspect of women's lives in Canadian society. Drawing upon our fascination with self-portraits, The Artist Herself expands the genre's definition by moving beyond the human face to propose other forms of self-representation, from both settler and Indigenous perspectives. The result is a thought provoking selection of works by 42 women artists in a range of media, including paintings, textiles, photographs and film.