Yellowknife NWT artist-biologist Diane Boudreau

Dianne Boudreau is (as so many are) a transplant from the south. From Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec,  from Acadian roots.. since June of 2000, she’s made here home in Yellowknife.

As her bio explains “…Diane sees the world differently than the rest of us — geometry in the landscape, art cut in the entomology and usefulness in the discarded. Diane’s point of view ensures that her world is always full of experimentation and wonder.

Combining her background in biology and environmental design, Diane’s paintings and urban art installations are truly reflective of her commitment to her work, the environment and her belief that art belongs to all of us.

Self-taught but inspired by muralists, Diane has trained her mind to combine materials in different ways. Whether working with scrap board and paint salvaged from the Yellowknife dump, found objects or even core samples from the mining industry, Diane allows herself the freedom to work confidently and to take initiative. For this, she thanks her home in the North where the freedom to create is easily sustained and the art is a mix of modern and traditional.

Diane’s ability to express what is going on in nature and culture allows her to create awareness of environmental and social issues through her artwork.

Diane enjoys the collegiality and support of her fellow artists and continues to learn and grow through group exhibitions and large collaborative pieces. You can see her work in some of the 24 hour open air galleries of Yellowknife, NT, and Whitehorse, YT (public murals)….”

Diane has received funding for her work from the NWT Arts Council and many local and territorial NGOs and companies have also helped her bring art to the people.

Her latest project “Species at risk” in the Northwest Territories  SPECIES AT RISK PROGRAM 2013 – PROGRAMME SUR LES ESPÈCES EN VOIE DE DISPARITION 2013 was painted in May 2013 by students from 5 different schools in Yellowknife. It features and was about the polar bear, the boreal caribou and the Braya sp. plant plus other some of the other endangered species in the NWT.

See also…
Biologist helping kids paint species at risk – Five area schools involved in upcoming art show  Simon Whitehouse Northern News Services Published Friday, May 24, 2013

Insects and gardens: Diane Boudreau, a biologist who has never worked in that field, radiates with creativity. That’s probably why she switched into environmental design — a line of work that allows her access to the natural world, but incorporates human activity. (Aug 17/01 Michele LeTourneau Northern News Services)

À Yellowknife pour assumer son rôle: Diane Boudreau, artiste ( L’Aquilon)

Art visuel : Apprendre tout en créant – Plus de 70 élèves de cinq écoles de la ville de Yellowknife ont participé à un projet artistique de Diane Boudreau.

Concours « Une chance qu’on l’a! » : Diane Boudreau, finaliste ténoise – Diane Boudreau, en compagnie de neuf autres francophones de différentes régions du Canada, se retrouveront, le 19 mars, pour la finale du concours « Une chance qu’on l’a! ». Une occasion en or de (re)découvrir les richesses humaines de nos communautés. 

George Lessard

George Lessard

George has worked in Northern media and the education sector while living in Salluit, Nunavik (Arctic Quebec), Arviat, (Nunavut); Inuvik, Forth Smith and Yellowknife (Northwest Territories) since 1982...