FORT ST. JOHN - Brian Jungen, one of the world’s most provocative and successful contemporary artists, has received an Honorary Associate of Arts Degree from Northern Lights College.
The Degree, in recognition of Jungen’s distinguished contributions to international art and culture, was conferred by Board of Governors chair Wendy Normandeau and NLC president Jean Valgardson during Convocation ceremonies on May 28 at the Stonebridge Hotel in Fort St. John.
Jungen has been acclaimed for producing evocative work that transforms ubiquitous consumer items into inventive sculptural forms, often linking his First Nations heritage to political and social issues. A major exhibition, Strange Comfort, organized by the National Museum of the American Indian, is currently on display until August in Washington, D.C.
Jungen was born in Fort St. John to a Canadian father and a Dunne-za mother. He is a member of the Doig River First Nation, and now lives and works in Vancouver.
He is the 11th person to be recognized by the College through the conferral of an Honorary Degree. His contributions in the NLC community include helping to raise awareness of the Muskwa-Kechika Management Area.
He recalled that this was not his first connection with NLC, having taken a babysitting course at the Chetwynd Campus when he was 12 years old.
“My work has taken me around the world to places I never imagined, but Fort St. John is still my home,” Jungen said. “I hope that you will always find a home in the Peace country.”
Jungen studied Visual Arts at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, graduating in 1992.
His work has been exhibited in Canada and internationally, in venues including the Tate Modern (London), the New Museum (New York), the Biennale of Sydney (Australia), the Gwangiu Biennial (South Korea), Secession (Vienna), the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Vancouver Art Gallery, and the National Museum of the American Indian.
In 2002, Jungen won the inaugural Sobey Art Award, Canada’s largest prize awarded to an artist under the age of 40.
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