Linus Woods (born June 3, 1967) is a Manitoba Aboriginal artist known for his spirit animals and Indigenous cultural themes which express his spiritual journey.

Early life

Linus Woods was born in 1967 to

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin ( ; Dakota/ Lakota: ) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations people from the Great Plains of North America. The Sioux have two major linguistic divisions: the Dakota and Lakota peoples (translati ...

and

Ojibway The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

parents and is a Dakota/Ojibway artist. He grew up in the

Long Plain First Nation The Long Plain First Nation () is an Ojibway and Dakota First Nations band government in Manitoba, Canada. (It also hosts a small number of Cree people as well.) Situated on a land base of primarily located in the Central Plains Region of Manit ...

in Southern Manitoba. He is a self-taught artist, who took some art classes at

Brandon University Brandon University is a university located in the city of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, with an enrolment of approximately 3,375 (2020) full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students. The current location was founded on July 13, 1899, ...

. He also studied informally with

Jane Ash Poitras Jane Ash Poitras LL. D. D.Litt (born October 11, 1951) is a Cree painter and printmaker from Canada. Her work uses the idioms of mainstream art to express the experience of Aboriginal people in Canada. Life Jane Ash Poitras was born in Fort Ch ...

Art

As an artist, he began travelling across North America in 1994 to gather Aboriginal native legend and folklore. At times "he lived with people who spoke only in their native language and practiced a traditional way of life." His paintings have often featured animals, especially those related to Aboriginal spirituality. His has also worked in the creation of public installations. Some of his most regarded work involve the encountering of UFOs during traditional Aboriginal settings. He has exhibited in both US and Canadian cities, and is represented by the Bearclaw Gallery in Alberta. Woods's works are in the collections of the

Canada Council The Canada Council for the Arts (), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It is Canada's public arts funder, with a mandate to ...

Art Bank and Peace Hills Trust. In 2002 he also exhibited at the Inuit and Indian Art Gallery in

Hull, Quebec Hull is the central business district and oldest neighbourhood of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the west bank of the Gatineau River and the north shore of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Ottawa. As part of Canada's ...

, in 2003 he exhibited at the Image Makers First Nation Art Exhibit in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, and in 2010 he exhibited his work at the

Winnipeg Art Gallery The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) is an art museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Its permanent collection includes over 24,000 works from Canadian, Indigenous Canadian, and international artists. The museum also holds the world's largest collect ...

. He now resides in

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, where he has served as the Artist in Residence at Highlands Junior High School. He has been a recipient of grants from the

Manitoba Arts Council The Manitoba Arts Council (MAC; ) is a provincial crown corporation whose purpose is to promote the arts. The Council awards grants to professional artists and arts organizations in Manitoba in all art forms; it also provides related creative act ...

and the Indian and Northern Affairs department of Canada.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woods, Linus 1967 births Living people 21st-century Canadian artists 20th-century Canadian artists Brandon University alumni Artists from Manitoba First Nations male artists Canadian people of Ojibwe descent People of Sioux descent