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Artist Spotlight: Alaynee Goodwill-Littlechild
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In celebration of National Indigenous History Month, we are proud to feature Alaynee Goodwill-Littlechild, an artist whose work carries deep personal and cultural significance.
Using traditional materials and processes, Alaynee connects deeply with her Indigenous roots, maintaining a vital link to her history, heritage, and family.
While she uses different mediums to tell her stories, Goodwill-Littlechild’s most cherished pieces are her unique handmade dolls. Crafted from natural elements like brain-tanned hide, horsehair, porcupine quills, and abalone shells, each doll is intimately inspired by her loved ones.
The AFA Art Collection is honored to care for three of these special works that represent her daughter Lakota, her eldest son Elijah, and her late sister Tahnee:
Lakota Winyan, 2009
Winter Scout, 2009
Tahnee Winyan with Cradle Board, 2009
brain tanned hide, horse hair, cotton, buffalo hair, sage stuffing, trade cloth, glass beads, sinew, brass studs, porcupine quill, abalone shells, turquoise, cowry shells
Collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts
In her AFA Artist Spotlight, Alaynee shares what it means to have these family representations safeguarded in the AFA Art Collection, reflecting on how their preservation ensures her love for her family, and her culture, will endure and be shared forever.