Haley Bassett
Haley Bassett is an interdisciplinary artist of Métis and settler descent, born in Dawson Creek, BC, in 1991. She lives and works between Grande Prairie, Alberta, and Sunset Prairie, BC, in Treaty 8, the traditional territory of the Dene, Dene-zaa, Nēhiyawēwin, and the Homeland of the Métis.
Her paternal Métis ancestors trace their roots to Fellers Heights, Choteau, Montana, and Saint-François-Xavier in the Red River area. She is a citizen of Métis Nation BC. Her maternal ancestors immigrated from the Volga River Valley in Russia and the Black Sea Coast in what is now Ukraine. Both sides of her family undertook unlikely journeys that culminated in the Peace River Region of BC. Exploring the confluence of these peoples and cultures within this landscape provides the backbone for her work.
Bassett’s practice explores the contributing factors of identity and self, or what makes us who we are, including culture, land, heritage, and history. More recently, she has focused on the intersection of identity, place, and labour—both physical and economic. Her work encompasses beading, textiles, found objects, and sculpture, drawing on an autoethnographic and place-based methodology rooted in the land, flora, and stories of Treaty 8.
She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts (2020) and Master of Applied Arts (2025) from Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Her work is housed in private, corporate, and institutional collections, such as the RBC Art Collection and the Canada Council Art Bank. She has completed residencies at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, including the Early Career Residency (2023) and Kapishkum: Métis Gathering (2025). In 2025, she was a finalist for the William and Meredith Saunderson Prize and the Salt Spring National Art Prize. She has showcased her work in recent group exhibitions at the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie and the Indigenous Contemporary Art Biennial, which featured her work in Art Mür (Montréal) and the Sherbrooke Museum of Fine Arts.
Recent Exhibitions
Group exhibition
Le soleil ne chauffe que ce qu’il voit
From July 22 to August 30, 2025
