Brianne Urzada

Photo by Carey Shaw.

BRIANNE URZADA (b. 1989, Yorkton, Canada) lives and works in Regina, Saskatchewan, CA. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Education and a Bachelor of Arts (Visual Arts) from the University of Regina. At the age of 23, she was diagnosed with stage three Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and underwent a rigorous but, ultimately successful treatment program. As a response to her experience Brianne’s work explores how trauma affects identity, specifically her experience as a woman and mother. Using abstracted figures she documents the healing journey and conveys powerful messages of hope.

In 2015 Brianne opened Arthouse, a local arts business, where she works primarily as an artist, but also offers corporate arts-based team building and private painting lessons. Her experience with cancer allowed her to develop a deep appreciation for the therapeutic and meditative properties of art. With private funding, Brianne now offers free therapeutic art classes to cancer patients and survivors. The participants of the classes are often the subjects of her paintings. Because of this work Brianne was the recipient of University of Regina Crowning Achievement Award - Humanitarian and Community Service Award.

Brianne recently revealed her latest body of work at her solo show, Someone You Know. She completed the Michele Sereda Artist-In-Residence program at the University of Regina in 2020. Brianne was awarded with an award of excellence from the 34th Chelsea International Fine Art Competition (2019), and more recently finished in the top 15 in the Circle Foundation Artist of the Year competition (2023).