Background
She was born in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, on 2 June 1925.
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Freda Diesing
Edit ProfileEducation
She studied painting at the Vancouver School of Art and was one of the first students at the Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Indian Art ("Ksan) at Hazelton, British Columbia, in Gitksan territory.
Career
Her Haida name is Skil Kew Wat, meaning "magical little woman." There she received instruction from the art historian Bill Holm, and the First Nations artists Tony Hunt (Kwakwaka"wakw) and Robert Davidson (Haida). 1998 Down from the shimmering sky: masks of the Northwest Coast. Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia.
1996 Topographies: aspects of recent British Columbia art
Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia. 1994 Spirit Faces. Inuit Art Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia.
1993 Art of the mask: works from the Peacock Collection. Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay.
Achievements
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Freda was a master carver, painter, educator and champion of First Nations art and culture. Her students include acclaimed artists Dempsey Bob, Norman Tait, her nephew Don Yeomans, and many others She lived in Terrace in her later years, and can be credited with instructing numerous students throughout the Pacific Northwest. Freda Diesing has received many honors and awards. She was recognized by the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation who awarded her the National Aboriginal Achievement Award in Winnipeg in March 2002. She received an honorary doctorate from the University of Northern British Columbia in May 2002. In 2006, Northwest Community College created the Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art, located in Terrace, British Columbia and named in her honor. She has served as artist-in-residence in the Dominican Republic and participated in sculpture symposia in Finland.
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Born
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Died
April 12, 2002 (aged 77) -
Nationality
Canada