Teresa Vander Meer-Chasse
Whitehorse, Yukon
Beadwork
Teresa Vander Meer-Chassé (b. 1992) is a proud member of the White River First Nation of Beaver Creek, Yukon, Canada and Alaska. Her beadwork is inspired by the strong women in her life, her mother, aunts, and grandmothers and the support of the caring men in her life, her father, partner, uncles, cousins, and grandfathers. Teresa is mostly a self-taught artist however her Grandma Marilyn, an Upper Tanana Elder and residential school Survivor, encouraged her to start by providing her with supplies, examples, and templates. Knowing the importance of cultural revitalization Teresa’s Grandmother encouraged her to bead and sew.
Teresa defines herself as a contemporary Upper Tanana visual artist. She primarily works with beads, hides, bones, quills, felts, and abalone. Her collection includes The Pylon, The Shoe, This is Donnie he reminds me of Frank, Headlines, Sisters, and most recently the work created during her YVR Art Foundation Scholarship Untitled (Resilience) which is currently on display at the Vancouver International Airport. Teresa incorporates her Upper Tanana culture in all the work she creates. She is not afraid of being different and ensures each piece she creates is unique and imaginative.
Currently, Teresa is preparing for a solo exhibition in her hometown in August 2017. The exhibition is titled “Indigenizing Colonial Garbage presents: Rez Car” which is a series of beaded hubcaps. She is very excited and will be dedicating her summer to completing these hubcaps for August.
Teresa is a member of the Aboriginal Curatorial Collective, Yukon Art Society, and Squamish Arts Council.