Vanessa Hyggen: ôma askiy âpacihcikâtîw (this land is in use)
Thu, Jun 1, 2028 to Wed, Aug 23, 2028 @ Estevan Art Gallery & Museum
Community: Estevan Art Gallery & Museum

This body of work highlights the diversity, beauty, importance and plight of northern Saskatchewan muskegs, land that is being threatened with strip mining. Peat mining involves draining the water out of the muskeg then mulch the cover vegetation (sundews, pitcher plants, Labrador tea, black spruce, birch, willows, alders, cranberries, bunchberries, cloudberries, bog laurel, leatherleaf, and dozens of species of mosses). Muskegs/peatlands are very old landscapes, it takes 10 years for one centimeter of peat to form. It is important to Vanessa’s culture, and to the survival of traditions and knowledge to keep wild areas intact and undisturbed by resource extraction. Many people are unfamiliar with these areas, and this is Vanessa’s way of bringing the muskeg to the public.
Vanessa is a Canadian artist of Woodlands Cree and Norwegian ancestry. She is a member of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band and her community is nemepith sipihk (Sucker River). She holds her Bachelor of Arts with distinction from the University of Saskatchewan. Vanessa is interested in utilizing memory, tradition and themes of nature in her work. Land conservation and land sovereignty are at the heart of her work, with her painting and beadwork focusing on the richness of the land, and in turn, the threats to the land.
Exhibitions
- Sat, Mar 1, 2025 to Sun, Mar 23, 2025 at the Brooks Hall - Hudson Bay, SK.
- Tue, Apr 1, 2025 to Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at the Council Chambers, Leader Town Office - Leader, SK.
- Sun, Jun 1, 2025 to Mon, Jun 23, 2025 at the Alex Robertson Public Library- La Ronge - La Ronge, SK.
- Mon, Sep 1, 2025 to Thu, Oct 23, 2025 at the Grand Coteau Heritage and Cultural Centre - Shaunavon, SK.
- Sat, Nov 1, 2025 to Sun, Nov 23, 2025 at the Moosomin Visual Arts Centre - Moosomin, SK.
- Sun, Mar 1, 2026 to Mon, Mar 23, 2026 at the Biggar Museum and Gallery - Biggar, SK.
- Wed, Apr 1, 2026 to Thu, Apr 23, 2026 at the Tisdale Community Library - Tisdale, SK.
- Fri, May 1, 2026 to Tue, Jun 23, 2026 at the Humboldt and District Gallery - Humboldt, SK.
- Tue, Sep 1, 2026 to Wed, Sep 23, 2026 at the Gallery Works and The Third Dimension - Melville, SK.
- Thu, Oct 1, 2026 to Wed, Dec 23, 2026 at the Weyburn Art Gallery - Weyburn, SK.
- Fri, Jan 1, 2027 to Tue, Feb 23, 2027 at the Station Arts Centre Cooperative - Rosthern, SK.
- Mon, Mar 1, 2027 to Thu, Apr 1, 2027 at the Art Gallery of Outlook - Outlook, SK.
- Sat, May 1, 2027 to Sun, May 23, 2027 at the Community pARTners Gallery - Yorkton, SK.
- Tue, Jun 1, 2027 to Wed, Jun 23, 2027 at the Gallery on 3rd - Watrous, SK.
- Wed, Sep 1, 2027 to Sat, Oct 23, 2027 at the Sherven-Smith Art Gallery - Melfort, SK.
- Wed, Dec 1, 2027 to Thu, Dec 23, 2027 at the John V. Hicks Gallery at the Margo Fournier Arts Centre - Prince Albert, SK.
- Thu, Jun 1, 2028 to Wed, Aug 23, 2028 at the Estevan Art Gallery & Museum - Estevan, SK.