Freda Diesing (2 June 1925 – 4 December 2002) was a Haida woman of the Sadsugohilanes Clan, one of very few female carvers of Northwest Coast

totem poles Totem poles () are monumental carvings found in western Canada and the northwestern United States. They are a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They are usually made from large t ...

and a member of the

Council of the Haida Nation The Council of the Haida Nation (CHN; ) is the elected government of the Haida people, the Indigenous occupants of the Haida Gwaii archipelago in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The council consists of a president and vice-president el ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada. Her

Haida Haida may refer to: Haida people Many uses of the word derive from the name of an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. * Haida people, an Indigenous ethnic group of North America (Canada) ** Council of the Haida Nati ...

name is , meaning "magical little woman."

Early life and education

She was born Marie Alfreda JohnsonFreda Diesing bio
at Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art. Retrieved 20 January 2016. in Prince Rupert, B.C., on 2 June 1925. She studied painting at the

Vancouver School of Art The Emily Carr University of Art and Design (stylized as Emily Carr University of Art + Design and abbreviated as ECU) is a public university of art and design located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1925 as the Vancouver Schoo ...

and was one of the first students at th
Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Indian Art
('Ksan) at Hazelton, B.C., in

Gitksan Gitxsan (also spelled Gitksan and Kitksan) are an Indigenous people in Canada whose home territory comprises most of the area known as the Skeena Country in English (: means "people of" and : means "the River of Mist"). Gitksan territory encom ...

territory. There she received instruction from the art historian Bill Holm, and the First Nations artists Tony Hunt ( Kwakwaka'wakw) and Robert Davidson (Haida).

Artwork

Diesing began her carving career when she was 42 years old using traditional formline design. She carved portrait masks and bowls as well as totem poles. She designed ceremonial button blankets and carved wall panels for the Prince Rupert General Hospital. She was part of the major revival in

Northwest Coast art Northwest Coast art is the term commonly applied to a style of art created primarily by artists from Tlingit, Haida, Heiltsuk, Nuxalk, Tsimshian, Kwakwaka'wakw, Nuu-chah-nulth and other First Nations and Native American tribes of the Northwes ...

in the 1960s. Her poles include two poles raised at the

Tsimshian The Tsimshian (; ) are an Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their communities are mostly in coastal British Columbia in Terrace, British Columbia, Terrace and ...

community of

Kitsumkalum Kitsumkalum is an original tribe/ galts'ap (community) of the Tsimshian Nation. Kitsumkalum is one of the 14 tribes of the Tsimshian nation in British Columbia, Canada. Kitsumkalum and is also the name of one of their Indian Reserve just west of t ...

near Terrace, B.C., with the assistance of a Tsimshian team, a 1987 pole for the

RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

station in Terrace, and poles in Prince Rupert.

Legacy and awards

Diesing was a master carver, painter, educator and champion of First Nations art and culture. Her students include acclaimed artists

Dempsey Bob Dempsey Bob, (born 1948) is a Northwest Coast woodcarver and sculptor from British Columbia, Canada, who is of Tahltan and Tlingit First Nations descent. He was born in the Tahltan village of Telegraph Creek on the Stikine River in northwestern ...

, Norman Tait, her nephew Don Yeomans, and many others. She lived in Terrace in her later years, and can be credited with instructing numerous students throughout the Pacific Northwest. Diesing has received many honors and awards. She was recognized by the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, now Indspire, who awarded her the

National Aboriginal Achievement Award The Indspire Awards, until 2012 the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, are annual awards presented by Indspire in Canada. The awards are intended to celebrate and encourage excellence in the Aboriginal community in Canada. About The award ...

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

in March 2002. She received an honorary doctorate from the

University of Northern British Columbia The University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) is a university serving the northern region of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The main campus is located in Prince George, with additional campuses located in Prince Rupert, Terrace, ...

in May 2002. In 2006 the Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art was created in Terrace, British Columbia and named in her honor. She has served as artist-in-residence in the Dominican Republic and participated in sculpture symposia in Finland.

Exhibitions

Source: 1993 ''Art of the mask: works from the Peacock Collection.'' Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay 1994 ''Spirit Faces''. Inuit Art Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia. 1996 ''Topographies: aspects of recent B.C. art.'' Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia''.'' 1998 ''Down from the shimmering sky: masks of the Northwest Coast''. Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia. 2019 ''Hearts of Our People: Native Women Arts.'' Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Notes

References

* Macnair, Peter L., Alan L. Hoover, and Kevin Neary (1984) ''The Legacy: Tradition and Innovation in Northwest Coast Indian Art.'' Vancouver, B.C.: Douglas & McIntyre. * Stewart, Hilary (1993) ''Looking at Totem Poles.'' Vancouver, B.C.: Douglas & McIntyre.Hill, Richard, William J. Rushing, and Roger Matuz. ''St. James Guide to Native North American Artists''. Detroit [Mich.: St. James Press, 1998. *Ahlberg, Yohe J, and Teri Greeves. ''Hearts of Our People. Native Women Artists''. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2019. *Hill, Richard, William J. Rushing, and Roger Matuz. ''St. James Guide to Native North American Artists''. Detroit [Mich.: St. James Press, 199

External links

Biographical information, Terrace BC library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diesing, Freda 1925 births 2002 deaths People from Prince Rupert, British Columbia Haida woodcarvers Haida women artists Canadian woodcarvers 20th-century First Nations sculptors 20th-century First Nations women 20th-century Canadian sculptors Indspire Awards Women woodcarvers 20th-century Canadian women artists First Nations women artists Emily Carr University of Art and Design alumni