About the Artist
Adrienne Larocque is a Nehiyaw Iskwew - Plains Cree Woman - from Kisipatnahk (Louis Bull Band) one of the Maskwacis Four Nations located within Treaty 6 Territory in Alberta, Canada.
She would like to acknowledge that she is fortunate to live, work and create as a guest on the Unceded traditional territories and homelands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples in what is known as Vancouver.
As the CEO and Designer of Kihew and Rose, Adrienne designs contemporary Indigenous Beadwork, jewelry and accessories handcrafted using traditional techniques and modern materials. She is on a lifelong journey of reclaiming her Nehiyaw culture and her beadwork is central to this journey. With a body of work spanning from designing heirloom pieces, special occasion jewelry for events such as weddings and graduations to designing everyday wearable accessories.
Growing up, she was influenced by entrepreneurs and educators in her family and had a general interest in Fashion and Design, she eventually went on to further her education and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honours in Native Studies from the “University of Alberta” and a Fashion Design Diploma from the “Blanche Macdonald Institute”. For as long as she can remember she has been creative, however, it wasn’t until her adult years that she learned to bead which fulfilled a deep connection she was missing to her culture. Since learning the art of beading she has dedicated the last several years to honing her practice and developing her own artistic style. Because of this, she wishes to create safe spaces to pass on her knowledge and encourage others to develop their skills as she believes that everyone can create beautiful beadwork.
