Amy Huestis

My work, since 2016, has been centred on the stɑl̓əw̓ (Fraser) river estuary at Hwlhits'um (Canoe Pass), on the sacred ancestral and present-day lands of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the Hul’qumi’num Mustimuhw (Hul'qumi'num Treaty Group of seven Coast Salish Nations), Tsawwassen, and Musqueam. Considering biodiversity loss, I am often thinking through how we can develop better kinship with other species.  I am especially interested in birds and their habitat.

Currently, I am working with birds of prey in paintings and drawings in my studio. Alongside this kind of studio work, I create community frameworks and performances to facilitate communal connection to the natural world. These interdisciplinary works cross boundaries between art and science: they are often researched and made in collaboration with artists, scientists, and conservationists. I also have a solitary walking practice in the Fraser Delta from which I create pieces in various media.

I love to collaborate with international artists in residencies and in performance. I have done residencies in the Bothy Project in Scotland, at JM Gray’s Cottage in Sechelt, BC, and at the UCLA Art/Science Centre. My performances include venues such as the Morbid Anatomy Museum in Brooklyn, University Settlement in New York City, UCLA Broad Art Centre in Los Angeles, Baryshnikov Dance Centre in New York City, and Richmond Art Gallery, BC. I was the artist in residence at Richmond Art Gallery from 2021-2023. 

I want to be an artist who is integrated in her community, and I do this through curatorial and educational projects—this means building ties with elementary schools, art galleries, conservation organizations, and many beloved artists and individuals. My community partnerships have included Hwlitsum First Nation, North Pacific Cannery Museum, Aadmsteti: Stinging Nettle Net Project, Time Lapse Dance, Henry Andersen Elementary School, Birds Canada, UCLA Art/Science Center, and Richmond Parks.

As a settler artist working with land, I try to also build ties with Indigenous Peoples in my research and projects. Most recently, I curated a community-guided walk, "walk quietly / ts'ekw'unshun kws qututhun", at Hwlhits'um (Brunswick Point in Ladner, BC). This walk tells the story of this threatened wildlife area from the perspective of Indigenous peoples, anthropologists, artists, and scientists.