Sheilia Austin (HÍELWET) was born in Victoria in 1952 to Doreen and Arthur Cooper. Sheilia is a member of the Tsartlip First Nation on the Saanich Peninsula on Vancouver Island where she lives and works. Sheilia has a B. Ed in Special Education, Art, and Administration from the University of Victoria and an M.Ed. in Curriculum Development (UVic). Sheilia worked as a classroom teacher, principal, and District Instructional Support Teacher for 39 years. In 1998, Sheilia studied Salish weaving with Rita Louis and has been weaving ever since. Sheilia quickly connected to the traditional practice of Salish weaving and has made numerous pieces such as blankets, wall hangings, mats, vests, bags, dresses, and sashes for ceremonies. Sheilia dyes her own wool using natural dyes. She is very fortunate to have received her grandmother’s loom as a gift from her aunt. She primarily weaves using this traditional loom. Sheilia has spent many hours in classrooms teaching students in grades 3-12 about weaving. In the Visiting Artist Program, she taught the students the basics of Salish weaving using miniature looms. Sheilia enjoys passing along the love of art and textiles to students and continues to work in schools as a guest artist.

Sheilia Austin participated in the Visiting Artist Program in 2014.

Ceremony (Exhibition Installation Image to Come)

This weaving is representative of a blanket used in Coast Salish ceremonies and cultural practices. Blankets are important symbols that are used to honour, celebrate, and protect. This contemporary  weaving represents a folded blanket, which is traditionally draped diagonally over the shoulders and across the body of a person in ceremony known as a Speaker. This rendition of a contemporary Speaker’s blanket utilizes traditional Coast Salish weaving but reduces the weight of a traditional blanket, which can be very heavy for a Speaker to wear.