Tanya Harnett

Tayna Harnett was born in Regina, Saskatchewan and is a member of the Nakota (Assiniboine) Carry-The-Kettle First Nation. She earned her B.A. and M.F.A. in printmaking from the University of Alberta and also trained at Grant MacEwan Community College. She previously was an Assistant Professor at the University of Lethbridge where she won a Distinguished Teaching Award. In 2015, Harnett joined the University of Alberta in a joint appointment as Associate Professor in the Department of Art and Design and the Faculty of Native Studies.

Much of her work is photo based and incorporates traces of her Aboriginal heritage. In her work, Tanya explores notions of spirituality and materiality, technological modes of representation and hierarchy of media. This is accomplished through the manipulation, processing and reprocessing of photography, digital imagery combined with a traditional approach with painting and drawing.