Simone Elizabeth Saunders: Myriad Moons

Curated by Wendy Peart

This exhibition runs January 23 - March 24, 2027, at Dunlop Art Gallery (Central Library)

Myriad Moons by Simone Elizabeth Saunders is a celebration of the joy, beauty, and excellence of Black and brown women across the Prairies and beyond.

Saunders constructs elaborate textiles that combine her professional background in theatre, dramaturgy, and storytelling with visual art to highlight the stories, experiences, and achievements of Black women.  Equipped with a tufting gun and punch needle, she embeds imagery connecting her female subjects to renewal and abundance, alongside with symbols of strength, justice, and resilience. Coining the term “Black Nouveau” style, she embeds influences of Renaissance and Art Nouveau styles along with her Jamaican visual heritage into vibrant and rich tapestries for which Saunders has become internationally recognized. Through this work, Saunders not only counters longstanding power structures of the Canadian art world but brings greater visibility to the experiences and labour of Black and brown women in contemporary society.

Simone Elizabeth Saunders (she/her) is an artist based in Mohkinstsis, Alberta. She holds two BFA degrees from the University of Alberta in Performance and the second with Distinction from the Alberta University of the Arts in Fibre. Recent exhibitions include the Art Gallery of Alberta, Textile Museum of Canada, Contemporary Calgary, Spencer Museum of Art, 21C Museum, Minneapolis Art Institute, the Mint Museum, and ArtsWestchester. She has received numerous awards including a Calgary Black Chambers Achievement Award recognizing her work in highlighting and advancing Black and societal issues through the Arts. Her work is held in many private and public collections such as Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Global Affairs Canada, and Minneapolis Institute of Art.  

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