Locals Only Artists

Cate Francis

Saskatoon, SK

Cate is a printmaker and illustrator living in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She holds a BFA from the University of Saskatchewan (2008), an MFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (2014), and a Prairie Horticulture Certificate from the University of Saskatchewan CCDE (2015). Her recent practice focuses on combining her interests in art and ecology into collaborative, community-engaged art projects and public murals. The bulk of her public art is carried out under the umbrella of her Paper Wildlife Conservancy (PWC).

In 2016, she implemented a Saskatoon-wide wheat paste campaign, engaging residents with local ecology and architecture while fostering a positive awareness of street art in the city. The PWC has since undertaken several hands-on educational projects at: Street Meet (2016), Sherbrooke Community Centre (2016), Nuit Blanche Saskatoon (2016, 2017), and Centennial Collegiate (2017). A gallery component of the project was accepted into the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils’ touring program where it has been encouraging residents across Saskatchewan to engage with the work of the PWC. In addition to her public art practice, Cate is an educator that delivers printmaking courses at a variety of institutions across Canada. Currently, she is a Silkscreen Instructor at Void Gallery and a Drawing Instructor for the University of Saskatchewan’s Certificate of Art and Design program.

Project:

Edible Plants in Saskatoon

Saskatoon has many residents who would benefit from increased access to fresh local produce.  Saskatoon also is full of edible plants quietly growing in public spaces that often go unused because of a lack of public knowledge on what plants are safe to eat and where to find them. Cate Francis teamed up with Grade 10 SEED students from Aden Bowman to directly address this knowledge gap by creating an easy to use pocket size guidebook detailing some of the most commonly found edible plants in Saskatoon.  The guide books “Edible Plants in Saskatoon: How to Identify Harvest and Use” were researched, illustrated and printed by the students in June 2018. The booklet is to be followed up with a printed map detailing publicly accessible locations where these edible plants can be found reliably, year after year, around the City with a primary focus on locations within the Riversdale area.

There is also a google map which users can copy and add additional locations to: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1R2zNBH0Gso9eFq30vNtMZJS5n2KJxdg_&usp=sharing.

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