Fusion of Traditions
You are warmly invited to join us in the Dal Schindell Gallery at 4 pm on Wednesday, September 17, for the opening of Speplól Tanya Zilinski's visual art exhibition, Fusion of Traditions. The exhibition, which features loom beaded tapestries made from tiny glass seed beads, will be viewable from September 17 to October 29, 2025.
Artist Statement
Exploration of cultural identity. This is how my voyage with loom beading tapestries emerged. Colour, materials, and textures are guided by spirit; my hands flow with direction of that which cannot be seen but is there in celestial essence and in my reality.
I use traditional loom beadwork for the purpose of passing on cultural knowledge, language, and oral stories; for a spiritual connection to my Ancestors; and as a daily tincture to cure the body and mind. I have developed my own methods and techniques through experimentation for creating large loom beaded tapestries that unite two cultures, complimenting one another, for the next seven generations and beyond of community and family while honouring the previous seven generations. I am at oneness while I am creating, and this process has gifted me a new perspective on life. It is with great gratitude I acknowledge this canoe journey has guided me to a good place and the Ancestors will continue paddling alongside me to help me navigate through the waters.
About the Artist
Tanya is a person, who is a visual artist, Halq’eméylem teacher, and matriarch of their family. They are a member of The Red River Nation maternally, with ancestral ties to Anishinaabe, Cree, Dakota, and Huron-Wendat Nations throughout Turtle Island’s Plains and Great Lakes Regions, and Ukrainian paternally. Their maternal family names are Chartrand (double), Lagimodière (double), and Cadotte. One of their traditional names is Speplól, which means Little Crow, and was a name given to them at the age of 14.
They were born on and grew up on the stolen lands of the Chowethel People, Ts’qó:ls, which is the Halq’eméylem name for what is known to settlers today as “Hope, BC.” Their medium is traditional Indigenous loom beadwork and the retelling of oral stories and teachings through patterns laid out on beadwork tapestries. They were taught to loom bead at 15 years old by a Stó:lō Elder in their community at Chawathil First Nation. Speplól has developed methods and techniques through experimentation for creating large loom beaded tapestries made from tiny glass seed beads. They currently teach Halq’eméylem for Fraser Cascade School District and are a certified teacher of the BC Teachers Federation.
Event Details
Exhibition Dates: September 17–October 29, 2025
Opening Reception: Wednesday, September 17, 4–7 pm
Address: Dal Schindell Gallery at Regent College, 5800 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC
Parking: Regent College no longer has its own parking lot. Paid parking options are available nearby with metered parking on Western Parkway, among other locations, and covered pay parking at the Thunderbird Parkade. See parking.ubc.ca for more info.
Speplól Tanya Zilinski
Tanya is a person, who is a visual artist, Halq’eméylem teacher, and matriarch of their family. They are a member of The Red River Nation maternally, with ancestral ties to Anishinaabe, Cree, Dakota, and Huron-Wendat Nations throughout Turtle Island’s Plains and Great Lakes Regions, and Ukrainian paternally.
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
The Canada Council for the Arts is Canada’s national public arts funder, with a mandate to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. Through its grants, services, prizes, initiatives, and payments, the Canada Council supports a dynamic and diverse arts and literary scene. These activities generate a meaningful economic, cultural and social impact for over 2,000 communities in all parts of the country and beyond. The investments and leadership of the Council help advance public engagement in the arts from coast to coast to coast while also contributing to the international recognition of artists and arts organizations from Canada.
The Dal Schindell Gallery is located at Regent College, which sits on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) First Nation.
