Tania Willard

Tania Willard is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, University of British Columbia Okanagan, situated on Syilx Okanagan Nation territories. She identifies as mixed Secwépemc and settler artist/curator, with research focusing on land-based art practices and Indigenous resurgence.

Her research studio CFI Site/ation develops Indigenous-specific contemporary art models challenging Western aesthetics in Canadian art. She teaches courses in Visual Strategies and Research, Indigenous Land-based Art, and Contemporary Indigenous Art.

• Key research themes include Indigenous land-based practices, curatorial praxis, BIPOC equity in art, and language revitalization
• Collaborative projects: BUSH Gallery (ongoing), Beat Nation (2012-2014), Exposure: Native Art and Political Ecology (2020-ongoing)

Scientific Awards:

• Hnatyshyn Foundation Curatorial Excellence Award (2016)
• Shadbolt VIVA Award (2020)
• Forge Project Fellow (2022)

Her academic work intersects with community-based art projects, museum interventions, and national exhibition programs. The CFI-funded Site/ation studio operationalizes Indigenous methodologies through land-based creative practices.