Artwork
Connie Watts
Weaving Culture, Art + Design
PASSION FOR FIRST NATIONS' KNOWLEDGE, CULTURE & WAYS
EXPERTISE
Artwork, Design & Management
Design
Interior Design with Art Features, Furniture & Graphic Design
Management
Art Programs, Training and Community Projects
Public Installations, Gallery Exhibitions & Private Collections
Artwork
Connie's award-winning artwork is often rooted in forms and knowledge of her First Nations cultures, while her sculptural objects incorporate modern fabrication and design techniques. She has shown nationally and internationally, and her work is included in numerous corporate and civic collections. Some highlights include Vereinigung installation at the Harborview Medical Centre in Seattle, her Thunderbird installation, Hetux, at the Vancouver International Airport, and Strength from Within created to commemorate the children of the Alberni Indian Residential School for the Tseshaht Nation.
Sculpture
Connie's works are founded in her Nuu-chah-nulth, Gitxsan and Kwakwaka'wakw knowledge and teachings. The large to small scaled sculptures are created in a variety of materials and finishes.
2D Artwork
The 2D Artwork includes mixed media assemblages, paintings, drawings and prints.
Textiles
The appliquéd works include Button Blankets and vests made both for public events and some with a focus on family cresting for potlatching, wall hangings, and a wedding dress. Two cultural quilts were created in collaboration with Judy Farrow. An experimental wall hanging was created through the exploration of silk mesh mounted to acetate.
Planning, Fabrication, Drawings, Material Specifications
Design
Connie's designs are informed by her BC First Nations' knowledge, culture and ways. She has completed several commercial interiors. The largest interior design project was for the Songhees Wellness Centre — a 48,000 square foot contemporary commercial building that fuses art, architecture, and design with the Songhees culture. Many of her interior projects include art features, like the most recent interior project completed for M'akola Development services. She designs and often fabricates furniture, that she refers to as functional art. They include boardroom tables, chairs, coffee tables, light fixtures, and helicopter seating and features. She creates diverse expressions of media from print, digital publications, and 3D animations.
Interior Design with Art Features, Furniture & Media
Interior Design with Art Features
Most of her Interior Design work is for societies, corporations and Nations. They are often infused with her First Nations' teachings, cultural stories and ways.
Furniture
Connie designs, fabricates and sometimes builds a variety of furnishings, including boardroom tables, doors, lighting fixtures, chairs, coffee tables, helicopter seats, and room diving screens. They are produced in a variety of materials and finishes, and each have their unique expressions and stories.
Media
Graphic Design of art, cultural and language books, invitations, logos, TV series opening sequences and computer animations.
Project Management, Programming, Event Planning & Curriculum Building,
Management
Connie was the project manager for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Committee’s Aboriginal Art Program. She was responsible for the curation, procurement, commissioning, execution and installation of 47 permanent artworks in the 16 official Olympic venues — an accomplishment marked by the publication of “O Siyam,” a book celebrating the Aboriginal Olympic artworks. She has ran various art and book publishing training programs for youth and adults. Her community projects include creating a cultural regalia photo booth, and youth language and cultural programs.
Art Programs, Education and Training Programs, and Community Projects
Art Programs
Connie was the manager for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Committee’s Aboriginal Art Program. They used a 2 million-dollar budget to procure, commission, and install 47 permanent Canadian Aboriginal Artworks for 16 Olympic venues, and 100 temporary artworks for exhibitions during the games. The artwork included Four Host First Nations art, youth mentorship programs, established to emerging works, and textiles. They raised 900K in grant support for five large collaborative art projects. Indigenous peoples from every province and territory across Canada were represented. This Program included organizing a successful Fall Art Auction Gala & Art Market for over 80 Canadian Indigenous Artist, the production of the book “O Siyam”, documenting all of the Olympic artworks, and the successful collaboration with the Four Host First Nations.
Education and Training Programs
Education and Training Programs included designing, implementing, teaching and managing a First Nations Wood Manufacturing Training Program and securing the program funding from Western Economic Diversification Canada, Forest Renewal BC, and BC Wood. Connie developed and taught courses founded in Northwest Coast art and culture in various Universities. She was the Instructor for high school students in designing and producing four mural: Oneness of Nature Artworks: Siyasusa, (To go the furthest you can go); ťaapati (Contemplation); Kwikwiistupšiƛ (Transformation); and Quuʔičiƛ (Growth). Connie also lead in the development, implementation and instruction for two adult book publishing training program where the participants created the design, layout and illustration for Nuu-chah-nulth Language books.
Community Projects
The community projects included the creation of a cultural regalia photo booth and the development of a final graphic exemplifying the Gatherings values for the First Nations Health Authority and Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council. Connie lead the work with Indigenous children to illustrated their own individual books for in a couple Youth Literacy Program for the Ditidaht Community School.
Connie Watts
Connie is an interdisciplinary artist, writer, curator, educator and designer of Nuu-chah-nulth, Gitxsan and Kwakwaka'wakw ancestry. She has a Bachelor of Interior Design from the University of Manitoba, and her MFA from Emily Carr University.
Her award-winning artwork is rooted in forms and knowledge drawn from First Nations cultures, while incorporating modern fabrication and design techniques. She has shown nationally and internationally. Connie’s Interior Design and Management projects is highlighted by the interior of the Songhees Wellness Centre and managing the Vancouver 2010 winter Olympics’ Aboriginal Art Program. Connie has been affiliated with First Peoples Cultural Council Board, YVR Arts Foundation Board, Emily Carr Board of Governors, the British Columbia Arts Council Board, the , the Vancouver Foundation and the Contemporary Art Gallery, among other institutions.