Lauren Crazybull is a local Blackfoot/Dene visual artist who is known as a mentor for at-risk youth in the Edmonton community. Through her artwork, Crazybull conveys the complexities of living as an Indigenous woman through visual representation. In 2019, she was chosen as Alberta’s first Artist in Residence, which means she will spend the rest of the year exploring the province, gathering the stories of Indigenous communities along the way, and promoting them in her project called “The Portrait of Alberta.”

The final project will include a portrait series, a large-scale visual “map” of the unique identities of these communities, as well as an audio documentary which reflects the key perspectives of Indigenous people of Alberta and their personal connection to this land. Crazybull embraces her innate creative ability to produce unique expressions of humanity such as these, which allows for deep insight into the struggle for representation and peace for the Indigenous community in Canada.