Dana Claxton
Family Portrait (Indians on a Blanket), 2008
C-print
48 x 60 in | Edition 2/4
Donated from the collection of Jennifer Winsor, in consultation with the artist
Estimated Value: $25,000
Dana Claxton was born in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, and her family reserve is Lakota First Nations, Wood Mountain. Her paternal Euro-Canadian grandmother taught her how to harvest and preserve food, and her maternal Lakota grandmother taught her to seek justice. Claxton is the youngest of four siblings, an auntie, niece, cousin, and daughter. As an artist, Claxton works in film, video, photography, single- and multi-channel video installation, and performance art. Her practice investigates beauty, the body, the socio-political, and the spiritual. Claxton’s work has been shown internationally at the Museum of Modern Art, Walker Art Centre, Sundance Film Festival, Eiteljorg Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art (Sydney) and is held in public collections across Canada. She has received numerous awards including the VIVA Award, the Eiteljorg Fellowship, the 2020 Scotiabank Photography Award, the 2020 Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts, and the 2019 Hnatyshyn Foundation Visual Arts Award. Her 2020 Splash work is part of her series The Mustang Suite, held in The National Gallery’s permanent collection.