artist statement
This fully beaded tie is a piece of wearable art that blends traditional and contemporary forms. It features my family’s designs and colours. In the North each region/community has their own distinct styles. This is brought to life using the two-needle flat stitch—a method where each bead is individually tacked down. I used seed beads, Delica beads, white caribou hide, leather, and Pellon.
This piece honours my cultural tradition while showing how these stories and techniques can continue to evolve in modern, wearable forms.
artist biography
Sheena is a Dene Artist from Ford Good Hope and Tulita in the Sahtu Region. Sheena learned how to bead from the strong women in her life but developed her own style making beaded jewellery in 2012.
Since then she has refined her techniques of preserving birchbark to use as a canvas for beading and porcupine quillwork. Sheena sells her artwork at arts festivals, a few retailers and craft shows. She has started holding workshops for youth and adults to pass on her traditional knowledge.
