CORALEE MILLER HIDDEN SPIRITS Vernon Public Art Gallery, January 13 - March 9, 2022
HIDDEN SPIRITS - ARTIST STATEMENT
A dimension walker, a benevolent water spirit, a mother and a night time guardian. These works are inspired and are a personal interpretation of traditional syilx/ Okanagan oral stories. Through these stories I connect daily life as well as my environment through a cultural perspective, much of what l perceive and feel, I can relate back to language, a story or community. For myself I have a love for oral stories and the integral teachings of bravery, forgiveness, responsibility and transformation. For the most part, these stories and perspectives have helped me stay connected within my own culture, to be able to paint or illustrate what I see in my mind’s eye with these stories, have helped me to express my love and pride for my heritage and the land in which our language and ways of being were brought forth. I want to share what I can see, not with the eyes but with the understanding in the heart and mind that our land is alive, things that we perceive as ordinary are in actuality, incredibly sacred, from the water to the lonely owl, in plain sight, these are our hidden spirits. I am a Syilx/Okanagan woman and a member of Westbank First Nation, I am of mixed heritage with my father being Scandinavian, however, I grew up with my mother’s side of the family on the Ir#9 reserve in Westbank. I work as a tour guide at the Sncewips Heritage Museum. Through my work I am able to combine my passion for storytelling, culture and art. There is something so special about having a story told to you orally, with written word there is too much opportunity to misunderstand one another; I encourage interpretations and to find oneself the opportunity to hear these stories and learn more. Limlimt (thank you) Coralee Miller
Coyote Asks Stronitum About the Salmon, 2021, acrylic on canvas, 47 x 36 in
Mole Woman, 2021, acrylic on canvas, 47 x 31.5 in
Red Woman, 2021, acrylic on canvas, 47.5 x 31.5 in
Sacred Waters, 2021, acrylic on panel, 24 in diameter
Coralee Miller
CURRICULUM VITAE
EDUCATION 2021 BFA, University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna BC 2009 Women in Trades course, Okanagan College, Kelowna BC 2008 High School Diploma, Mount Boucherie Secondary School, West Kelowna 2004 Art lessons with Debra Hartloft
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 2020 Rogers Communications, a commission to create work of art for the new Downey-Wenjack Legacy space in Kelowna, BC 2018 – present Museum Assistant and Informational Guide, Sncewips Heritage Museum, West Kelowna 2019 created logo and poster the Syilx Nation Rising Initiative created logo for the 2019 Annual Okanagan Nation Alliance Salmon Ceremony created Westbank First Nation Siya? Ceremony logo created Four Food Chief images for 2019 Native graduates of Kelowna Secondary School created a mural called Nxaxaitkw for the Rotary Centre of the Arts Cultural Appropriation Installation, Kelowna BC 2018 Commission, artwork representative of the Okanagan/Syilx people. Created a painting titled Coyote Brings the Salmon, RDCO, Kelowna BC 2015/2016 worked in Dry Grads Program providing henna tattoos with colaborator Matthew Brown 2016 Museum Assistant (storytelling and curation of collection), Sncewips Heritage Museum, West Kelowna 2014 summer student position at the Sncewips Heritage Museum created the logo for the Sncewips Heritage Museum created four department logos for Westbank First Nation 2012 created Idle no More poster at the Okanagan College, Kelowna BC 2011 worked as an intern for the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art. Duties included exhibitions instatallation and take down, exhibition lighting, collected artist statements and assist with government project and operating assistance grants applications AWARDS 2019 one of the winners for the Fraser Basin Art Contest on Climate Change WORKSHOPS/ LECTURES 2021 online artist talk at the VPAG for the annual emerging artists exhibition 2020 participated as a guest speaker for the Kelowna Art Gallery Lunchtime Lecture Series via Zoom interview, CBC’s Secret Life of Canada, S3 Sasquatch in the Gift Shop 2019 Attended the Fraser Basin Climate change conference in Vancouver as one of the First Nation Youth representatives
EXHIBITIONS
2021 UBCO annual Art on the Line fundraiser, Kelowna BC 2021 two person exhibition, Grizzli Winery, West Kelowna BC 2019 - 2020 Teamed up with Kelowna Museum for the Living Languages Exhibition, Kelowna BC 2019 Rogers Communications, a commission to create work of art for the new Downey-Wenjack Legacy space in Kelowna, BC 2018 I worked with Russell Tyler in setting up our Ogopogo and Appropriation Exhibition and created a mural at the Rotary Centre for the Arts, Kelowna BC
This publication was produced in conjunction with the exhibition: Coralee Miller: Hidden Spirits Vernon Public Art Gallery, January 9 - March 13, 2022 Production: Vernon Public Art Gallery Front cover image: Owl Woman, 2021, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 36 in
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