Internationally-acclaimed Edmonton artist Jane Ash Poitras is one of the fastest rising stars in the Canadian contemporary visual arts firmament.

Born October 11, 1951 in Fort Chipewyan, Alberta, and raised in a foster home in Edmonton, her abundant talent and academic achievement have provided a solid foundation on which she has built her still-blossoming career as an artist, lecturer, writer and philosopher.

Her academic achievements include a B.Sc. in Microbiology and a B.F.A. from the University of Alberta and M.F.A. in print making from Columbia University in New York City.

Jane Ash Poitras' interest in art and her native heritage has evolved simultaneously during her adult years and has become the prime focus of her work in the last decade. She firmly believes that her work as an artist can assist in reestablishing a common pride and identity for North America's first peoples as well as providing a greater understanding of first nations culture to all who view her art.

Her imagery is narrative in nature and is built upon a combination of symbols of her own and other Native heritages, modern culture and the language of contemporary fine art. She has been profoundly influenced by the cultural collages of Robert Rauschenberg, constructivist Kurt Schwitters and the ethereal paintings of Mark Rothko, but her powerful imagery is bourne of her own quest to heal humanity.

Over the past 10 years her art work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions in commercial and public galleries and museums in Canada, the United States and around the world. Her work is also included in numerous public, corporate and private collections including the Brooklyn Museum in New York, the Museum of Civilization in Hull and in the Vancouver, Edmonton and Winnipeg Art Galleries.