In 2022, the Women’s Art Museum of Canada launched the Diversité Feminine Diversity (DFD) project to increase its representation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) women artists. Our goal over is to primarily focus on BIPOC artists living in Alberta, Yukon, and Saskatchewan, and publish these women’s fascinating stories online, in educational publications and in the museum to make the public aware of the significance of these artists’ contributions.

With the aim to preserve these women’s heritage and stories, we hope to highlight and expand our knowledge of diversity through the artistic eye of femininity—a woman’s perspective. DFD provides BIPOC women visual artists a long-overdue platform to display their art and bring awareness of their work, ideas and traditions. This can inspire girls and women from diverse communities to increase their involvement in the visual arts, and by doing so, increase the public’s acceptance and understanding of other perspectives.

WAM is grateful to have received partial funding from the Ministry of Arts, Culture & Status of Women through a Community Initiative Program project grant as well as from the Government of Canada through the Canadian Museum Association’s Young Canada Works in Heritage Organizations in 2022 and in 2023. DFD continues to be developed through the perspectives of these young individuals under the supervision of WAM’s Research & Collections Officer. Please contact WAM’s DFD Project Assistant at projects@wamsoc.ca for more information.