Judith P. Morgan (April 27, 1930 - June 30, 2016) was a

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

Gitxsan artist from Kitwanga, B.C.Canada. A

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 ...

and member of the

Tsimshian First Nations Tsimshian First Nations is a treaty council based on the British Columbia Coast near Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada. Membership The Tsimshian First Nations treaty council is made up of four band governments including: BC Treaty Process In t ...

, Morgan was born in the village of

Kitwanga Kitwanga or Gitwangak is in the Skeena region of west central British Columbia. Among the Hazelton and Bulkley Mountain Ranges, the place is on the north shore of the Skeena River, east of the Kitwanga River confluence. On BC Highway 37, northe ...

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 ...

. Her father was a Tsimshian chief, and her mother was also descended from tribal leaders. At the Alberni Indian Residential School she met George Sinclair, who encouraged her in the development of her art; as a result, she won a two-year scholarship to

Cottey College Cottey College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Nevada, Missouri. It was founded by Virginia Alice (Cottey) Stockard in 1884. Since 1927, it has been owned and supported by the P.E.O. Siste ...

. In 1953 she married Willis O. Fitzpatrick, with whom she had five children; she returned to school, to the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

, to complete a bachelor's degree in art education in 1976. Morgan began showing her work in the mid-1940s, and it has been seen in venues throughout Canada and the United States. Among her awards are a first prize from the

Pacific National Exhibition The Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) is a nonprofit organization that operates an annual 15-day summer fair, 12-day winter fair, a seasonal amusement park, and indoor arenas in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The PNE fair is held at Hastings ...

in Vancouver (1947) and another first prize from the Arts and Crafts Society Exhibition in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

(1948). Five of Morgan's paintings were purchased by the provincial government in 1949, and they remain in the

British Columbia Archives The British Columbia Provincial Archives are located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The BC Archives merged with the Royal BC Museum in 2003. The BC Archives contain the archives of the British Columbia government, and are valuable for bot ...

. Morgan returned to Kitwanga in 1983.

References

1930 births 2016 deaths 20th-century Canadian painters 20th-century Canadian women artists 20th-century First Nations painters 20th-century First Nations women 21st-century Canadian painters 21st-century Canadian women artists 21st-century First Nations artists 21st-century First Nations women Artists from British Columbia Cottey College alumni First Nations painters Gitxsan people University of Kansas alumni First Nations women artists {{Canada-painter-stub