Carl Beam (1943-2005) was born in M’Chigeeng, West Bay, Manitoulin Island, of Ojibway heritage. His work strongly expresses Aboriginal cultural and political history in Canada and globally through the use of diverse media such as drawing, watercolour, etching, non-silver photography, photo transfer, photo emulsion, installation and ceramics.
His work is found in major Canadian and international collections including the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Winnipeg Art Gallery and the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo, N.Y.; and has been exhibited throughout North America as well as in Italy, Denmark, Germany and China.
As an artist, he has been instrumental in the development of art for Canada’s First Nations. His style has exerted a strong influence on a generation of Aboriginal artists.
He obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Victoria and did post-graduate work at the University of Alberta.
Carl Beam was inducted into the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts in 2000. He resided in M’Chigeeng, Manitoulin Island, prior to his death in July 2005.