Two small photos of a shadowed moon with a brief biography of author Edward S. Curtis cut out from the back of a book and pasted underneath.

Untitled, date unknown

Ink and acrylic on paper; emulsion transfer (photographic)

Carl Beam, RCA

Born M'Chigeeng First Nation (West Bay), Ontario, 1943Died M’Chigeeng First Nation (West Bay), Ontario, 2005
University of Alberta Museums Art CollectionUniversity of Alberta MuseumsGift of Maurice Yacowar2016.1.25
Lowercase I in a black picture frame that links to this work of art on the UAlberta Museums Search Site.

Respected multidisciplinary Anishinaabe artist Carl Migwans Beam studied at the Kootenay School of Art at the University of Victoria where he earned his bachelor of fine arts degree. Beam also briefly studied at the University of Alberta.

Highly influenced by American artists such as Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg, Beam’s expansive artistic practice encompassed ceramics, painting, printmaking, and collage. His work often explored Indigenous histories, Canadian politics, and his personal life.

In 2000, he was inducted into the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, and in 2005, he received the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts. He passed away in 2005.