Morgan Asoyuf (born 1984 née Green)[1] is a Ts'msyen artist from Prince Rupert, British Columbia. She is Eagle Clan[2] from the Lax Kw’alaams community. A multidisciplinary artist, Asoyuf works primarily in goldsmithing, jewelry, gem-setting, and engraving.[3]
Morgan Asoyuf | |
|---|---|
| Born | Morgan Green 1984 (age 39–40) |
| Occupation(s) | Artist and craftsperson |
Artwork
editAsoyuf has apprenticed with Haida mixed-media artist Richard Adkins and Tsimshian multidisciplinary artist Henry Green.[4] She also attended the Vancouver Metal Art School, where she studied under German metalworker Gerold Mueller.[5]
In 2019, Asoyuf exhibited the photography series Royal Portrait, a series contemplating Indigenous northwest coast ideals and featuring "frontline activists working on issues like climate justice, missing and murdered Indigenous women, and protesting the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline."[6] The portraits depicted community leaders and activists wearing Asoyuf's fine jewelry, predominantly headdresses, including frontlets, aigrettes, and crowns, made of mixed materials. The exhibit was shown at the Bill Reid Gallery in Vancouver from October 2019 until January 2020.[7]
Asoyuf's work has also been showcased during Vancouver Fashion Week in 2019.[8]
Published books
editBlack and White: Visual Stimulation For Babies (2017) is a board book of high-contrast images "designed to stimulate brain growth and visual development in young babies" using traditional Pacific Northwest Coast imagery.[9]
Learning My Rights with Mousewoman[10] (2021) is a board book geared to preschool-aged children that uses the legendary figure of "Mousewoman" (a well-known personage in the mythology of Haida and Tsimshian peoples)[11] to introduce children to the concept of inherent rights.
Activism and advocacy
editAsoyuf created a T-shirt design for Orange Shirt Day, which was featured on the website Vancouver Is Awesome. Orange Shirt Day, also known as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, commemorates victims and survivors of the Canadian residential school system. In 2021, the unmarked graves of several hundred children were discovered on the former grounds of defunct residential schools in British Columbia, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. Asoyuf's design, featuring the words Every Child Matters, "shows 'two eagles holding around like a heart; this depicts protecting with love.'"[12] Net proceeds from sales of the shirt benefitted the Orange Shirt Society and the BC Aboriginal Child Care Association.[13]
References
edit- ^ "Morgan Asoyuf (Tsm'syen)". Museum of Anthropology at UBC. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
- ^ "Morgan Asoyuf". Authentic Indigenous Arts Resurgence Campaign. Authentic Indigenous.
- ^ Grundy, Mercedes (June 21, 2021). "Morgan Asoyuf places her ornate crowns and jewelry on Indigenous activists to honour and protect them". CBC Arts. CBC-Radio Canada. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ^ "Morgan Asoyuf". Lattimer Gallery. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ^ "Tsm'syen – Morgan Asoyuf". Morgan Asoyuf. Morgan Asoyuf Fine Arts. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ^ Nair, Roshini (October 12, 2019). "Ts'msyen artist honours matriarchs and activists with new exhibition". CBC-Radio Canada. CBC News. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ^ "Royal Portrait". Bill Reid Gallery. Bill Reid Foundation. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ^ Moukanda, Noémie (November 20, 2019). "La mode autochtone commémore les femmes disparues et assassinées". CBC-Radio Canada. Radio-Canada ICI. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ^ "Black and White: Visual Stimulation For Babies (BB)". Strong Nations. Black and White: Visual Stimulation For Babies (BB). Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ^ Jenkinson, Dave (June 18, 2021). "Learning My Rights with Mousewoman". Canadian Review of Materials. XXVII (40).
- ^ Evans, Gwyneth (1983). "Mouse Woman and Mrs. Harris". Canadian Children's Literature (31–32): 53–62. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ^ Kronbauer, Bob (June 8, 2021). "Tsm'syen artist Morgan Asoyuf discusses her Every Child Matters design". Glacier Media Digital. Vancouver Is Awesome. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ^ Kronbauer, Bob (June 5, 2021). "Here's where the proceeds of this Every Child Matters t-shirt are going". Glacier Media Digital. Vancouver Is Awesome. Retrieved July 2, 2021.