Wee Láy Láq , Laura, Lumlamelut
Item
Maker Name
Wee Láy Láq , Laura, Lumlamelut
Marks
Biography
Laura (ancestral name, Lumlamelut) Wee Láy Láq has been an important figure in BC ceramics. She is renowned for her lustrous burnished and smoke fired vessel/containers that have been widely exhibited and collected, and for her contributions as a ceramic teacher and a language/cultural teacher, around the world.
Laura is one of few Indigenous artists in BC to have engaged in a ceramic practice. (Others - Chief Henry Hunt, Judy Cranmer, Judy Chartrand, and Tobias Tomlinson) She lives and works in Chilliwack, BC and is of of Stó:lo (Coast Salish) and Wuikinuxv (Oweekeno) ancestry.
Laura studied Fine Arts at Douglas College, 1970-73, with Fred Owen, later known as Kyber Dancer, and then graduated with Honours from the Vancouver School of Art in 1977. (Teachers, Tam Irving and Sally Michener)
It was in the late 1970s she decided to study Northwest Coast design and worked with Chief Tony Hunt (1942-2017), eldest son of Chief Henry Hunt (1923-85). (See H.H. biography) Both of the Hunts worked in association with the Royal British Columbia Museum as carvers, preserving and promoting the traditional arts of the Kwakwaka’wakw culture. Chief Tony Hunt was also one of the artists who taught Northwest Coast Formline to ceramicist Judy Cranmer in the 1960s. Note, that Chief Henry Hunt also produced Indigenous-themed slipware in the 1950s /60s.
Laura has also produced a line of Northwest Coast dinnerware called Kwelas.
Laura's is a challenging practice centred around making large fragile flattened-coil vessel /containers, then polishing with smooth stones that compress and realign the surface. The pots are pit-fired in sawdust and organic materials to achieve highly burnished and sumptuous surfaces. As low-fired vessels they retain their fragility throughout the fabrication and as objects. Awareness around fragility, unpredictability, and the work of containment, are all part of her practice.
Also during the 1970s, Blue Corn, also known as Crucita Gonzalez Calabaza from San Lidefonso, Pueblo in New Mexico came to BC. Blue Corn’s own ceramic tradition of coil built, burnished and pit-fired water vessels descended from the great Pueblo artist, Martinez. Blue Corn’s mentorship made a tremendous impact on Laura, and she was encourages to travel widely and study the global use of the “olla” - traditional water carriers. Laura posed a question about her vessel work . “At what point is a vessel or container considered sculpture?”
Teaching has been a significant part of Laura Wee Láy Láq’s career, and she has taught at Emily Carr University and is an instructor at the University of the Fraser Valley, where she is revitalizing the Halq’emyélem language of the upriver Salish peoples. She has also held numerous workshops in USA, China, Italy and Australia. Her work has been widely exhibited and collected and can be seen in the UBC Museum of Anthropology (MOA) and is in their permanent collection, among other significant public collections.
IN 2015 Laura was awarded the first BC Creative Achievement Award for First Nation Art. She is the recipient of the Fulmer Award in BC First Nations Art and has received the Mungo Martin Award three times. Laura has received these awards honouring her practice as an Indigenous artist. There are constant references to her heritage in any commentary about her practice - including in this profile. In 2010 Laura noted that she 'eschews being labeled an Aboriginal artist because of the restrictive boundaries that may place on the reception of her work.'
Her contribution, as an early Indigenous ceramic artist, has been important with more young Indigenous artists turning to the expressive and narrative powers of clay. However, foremost is Laura’s role as an artist, the rigour and research that support her practice, and the significance and timeless beauty of her vessels.
Laura is one of few Indigenous artists in BC to have engaged in a ceramic practice. (Others - Chief Henry Hunt, Judy Cranmer, Judy Chartrand, and Tobias Tomlinson) She lives and works in Chilliwack, BC and is of of Stó:lo (Coast Salish) and Wuikinuxv (Oweekeno) ancestry.
Laura studied Fine Arts at Douglas College, 1970-73, with Fred Owen, later known as Kyber Dancer, and then graduated with Honours from the Vancouver School of Art in 1977. (Teachers, Tam Irving and Sally Michener)
It was in the late 1970s she decided to study Northwest Coast design and worked with Chief Tony Hunt (1942-2017), eldest son of Chief Henry Hunt (1923-85). (See H.H. biography) Both of the Hunts worked in association with the Royal British Columbia Museum as carvers, preserving and promoting the traditional arts of the Kwakwaka’wakw culture. Chief Tony Hunt was also one of the artists who taught Northwest Coast Formline to ceramicist Judy Cranmer in the 1960s. Note, that Chief Henry Hunt also produced Indigenous-themed slipware in the 1950s /60s.
Laura has also produced a line of Northwest Coast dinnerware called Kwelas.
Laura's is a challenging practice centred around making large fragile flattened-coil vessel /containers, then polishing with smooth stones that compress and realign the surface. The pots are pit-fired in sawdust and organic materials to achieve highly burnished and sumptuous surfaces. As low-fired vessels they retain their fragility throughout the fabrication and as objects. Awareness around fragility, unpredictability, and the work of containment, are all part of her practice.
Also during the 1970s, Blue Corn, also known as Crucita Gonzalez Calabaza from San Lidefonso, Pueblo in New Mexico came to BC. Blue Corn’s own ceramic tradition of coil built, burnished and pit-fired water vessels descended from the great Pueblo artist, Martinez. Blue Corn’s mentorship made a tremendous impact on Laura, and she was encourages to travel widely and study the global use of the “olla” - traditional water carriers. Laura posed a question about her vessel work . “At what point is a vessel or container considered sculpture?”
Teaching has been a significant part of Laura Wee Láy Láq’s career, and she has taught at Emily Carr University and is an instructor at the University of the Fraser Valley, where she is revitalizing the Halq’emyélem language of the upriver Salish peoples. She has also held numerous workshops in USA, China, Italy and Australia. Her work has been widely exhibited and collected and can be seen in the UBC Museum of Anthropology (MOA) and is in their permanent collection, among other significant public collections.
IN 2015 Laura was awarded the first BC Creative Achievement Award for First Nation Art. She is the recipient of the Fulmer Award in BC First Nations Art and has received the Mungo Martin Award three times. Laura has received these awards honouring her practice as an Indigenous artist. There are constant references to her heritage in any commentary about her practice - including in this profile. In 2010 Laura noted that she 'eschews being labeled an Aboriginal artist because of the restrictive boundaries that may place on the reception of her work.'
Her contribution, as an early Indigenous ceramic artist, has been important with more young Indigenous artists turning to the expressive and narrative powers of clay. However, foremost is Laura’s role as an artist, the rigour and research that support her practice, and the significance and timeless beauty of her vessels.
First name
Laura, Lumlamelut
Last name
Wee Láy Láq
Career dates (start and end)
1977
Date of Birth
1952
Place of Birth
British Columbia
Studio location
Formal Education
Apprenticeships
Studied Northwest Design with Chief Tony Hunt
Blue Corn, Crucita Gonzalez Calabaza from San Lidefonso, Pueblo , New Mexico
Major Exhibitions
2021 We Do Not Work Alone, Nanaimo Art Gallery, curated Jesse Birch
2010 - UBC Museum of Anthropology, Border Zones, New Art Across Cultures (Vancouver Olympics)
2004 "Hot Clay, Sixteen West Coast Ceramic Artists, Surrey Art Gallery , Liane Davidon
1980 - Retrospect Ceramics 80, PGBC 25th anniversary
Collections
UBC Museum of Anthropology
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Vancouver Art Gallery
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Vancouver Art Gallery
Smithsonian, USA
Vancouver Art Gallery
Surrey Art Gallery
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
grunt gallery, Vancouver, BC
Richmond , BC, Art Gallery
Winnipeg Art Galelry
Affiliated organizations
Personal Website
https://lauraweelaylaqceramics.com
Tag
Links to Further Resources
Awarded - 2015 BC Creative Achievement Award for First Nation Art
Awarded - Wee Láy Láq is a recipient of the Fulmer Award in BC First Nations Art
https://www.lattimergallery.com/collections/laura-wee-lay-laq
http://collection-online.moa.ubc.ca/search/item?person%5B0%5D=3399&row=1
http://www.desiringproductions.com/moa/weelaylaq.html
1995 Published - Laura Wee Láy Láq: Workshop & Exhibition Handbook, Queensland Arts Council
Source
Debra E. Sloan
Linked resources
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