CULTURAL GROUP:
Anishinaabe

BORN:
December 21, 1976

BIRTHPLACE:
Vancouver, BC

Sharifah Marsden is an Anishinaabe artist from the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation. Since early childhood, Sharifah has been directed toward a life of art and culture. She draws from her Ojibway roots and knowledge of Woodlands art to create unique works that include everything from acrylic paintings to beadwork to engraving. In 2009, Sharifah graduated from Vancouver's Northwest Coast Jewellery Arts program under established Haida/Kwakwaka'wakw artist Dan Wallace. In 2010, Sharifah worked with artists Richard Shorty and Jerry Whitehead, among others, to complete Western Canada’s largest mural along on the outer wall of the Orwell Hotel located at 456 East Hastings in Vancouver. In 2014, she graduated from two years of formal training in the European goldsmithing tradition at the Vancouver Metal Arts School under the instruction of Gerold Mueller. At the Vancouver Metal Arts School she learned hollow form design, complex soldering techniques, and stone setting. In April of 2015, Sharifah had her first solo exhibition at Lattimer Gallery entitled Sharifah Marsden - Miigwetch. It featured jewellery pieces created during her time at the Vancouver Metal Arts School, as well as a number of paintings. In 2020, Sharifah had her second solo show titled Anishinaabe Motherhood at Vancouver's C3 Creative Cultural Collaborations. Based on pieces from this show, Sharifah created her first four limited edition prints in 2020.