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Bernard Riordon,
O.C., Director and CEO of The Beaverbrook Art Gallery of Fredericton, is committed to increasing the recognition of First
Nations artists of the calibre of Ward-Francis. "Fran's work shows a contemporary interpretation of many traditional
stories while at the same time demonstrating individual expressiveness in a universal manner" says Riordon. "She is dedicated to her art work and is respected by her peers and the general public. In fact, The Beaverbrook Art gallery plans to organize a major exhibition of the work of First
Nations artists in 2007. Undoubtedly, Fran will play a role in that exhibition".
"Fran Ward Francis is a Mi' kmaq from the Metapenagiag First
Nation at Red Bank, New Brunswick Canada. With this heritage, Fran creates a superb synthesis between the traditional
and truely innovative and modern. Her unique canvases are a synthesis of the old and the new, constantly challenging
our perception of what North American Indian art should be. She is a rising talent whose work is already beginning
to appear in important art galleries and collections, rightfully taking her place amongst the best in Canadian, and indeed
international, art." Sandra Rhodda, Curator and Director, Andrew and Laura Mccain Gallery, Florenceville,
N.B., Canada.
Ingrid Mueller, owner
of the prestigious contemporary gallery ArtContact in Fredericton, has pointed out that Ward-Francis not only links past with
present, but also highlights the role of women in prehistoric and recent Mikmaq society. "Fran brings a contemporary feminist
perspective to Aboriginal art that is foreign to the vast majority of us says" Mueller.
"She has spent a lot of time in the serious study of her ancestral culture and language, and uses the traditional Mikmaq
system of hieroglyphic writing in an innovative way to shine a spotlight on the role of Mikmaq women. Her work is highly intellectual, yet at the same time, very moving."
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