Meet our Next Artists-in-Residence: Vanessa Hyggen & Laelia LeFeuvre
Feb 06 / 2025
- Artist-in-Residence
The Ukrainian Museum of Canada is pleased to welcome Vanessa Hyggen and Laelia LeFeuvre as our current Artists-in-Residence.
This collaborative residency, running from late January to April 2025, will culminate in a summer exhibition exploring ancestral legacies through artefacts and new works of art.
During their residency at the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Hyggen and LeFeuvre will merge their practices to explore the Museum’s permanent collection and the rich connections between Cree and Ukrainian artistic traditions. Their exhibition, opening on May 29, 2025, will feature new works developed through this unique collaboration—offering audiences a space to reflect on ancestral knowledge and shared traditions.
About Vanessa Hygiene
Vanessa Hyggen is a Woodland Cree and Norwegian painter and bead artist from nemepith sipihk (Sucker River), Northern Saskatchewan. A member of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, Hyggen resides in Saskatoon, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction from the University of Saskatchewan. Her work—spanning painting, beadwork, and public art projects—draws upon themes of memory, tradition, and the natural world.
About Laelia LeFeuvre
Laelia LeFeuvre, a Saskatoon-based artist of Ukrainian heritage, specializes in fibre arts. She holds a Visual Arts Diploma from Red Deer Polytechnic and has extensive experience in fibre processing, from growing and processing flax into linen to working with felting, knitting, and natural dyeing. She first collaborated with Hyggen as a technical assistant for the project Beads and Stone 2 at the University of Saskatchewan, where the two artists found a shared passion for materiality and cultural storytelling.
Stay tuned for updates on our artist-in-residence program and upcoming public engagement opportunities!
