HAILI HEAVY SHIELD |HAT & BOOT DANCE
MAR. 28, 2026 - JUN. 26, 2026
OFF-SITE | LETHBRIDGE TRADE & CONVENTION CENTRE (101 EXHIBITION WY S, LETHBRIDGE, AB)

EXHIBITION BOOKLET (COMING SOON)

Viewable in the main floor lobby of Excite Lethbridge.

Hat & Boot Dance features Hali Heavy Shield’s large-scale drawings of her traditional Blackfoot beaded bag and dancers engaged in the Hat and Boot Dance—a powwow form that emerged through cultural exchange between powwow and rodeo circles.

Heavy Shield’s works portray a man, a woman, and two children in rhythmic steps and gestural arcs evoking the vitality of Blackfoot cowboy life. The drawings invite viewers into the cadence and emotional resonance of the dance, foregrounding movement as both cultural memory and contemporary expression.

The depiction of the artist’s beaded bag honors the legacy of her grandmothers’ (Issitaki & Kate Three Persons) love of traditional powwow dance, as well as her grandfathers’ (Akohkitopi & Tom Three Persons) ties to ranching and cowboy culture. 

The Hat and Boot Dance originated through a crossover between powwow and rodeo communities. Following rodeo events, cowboys would gather at the powwow grounds, drawn by the drum and the energy of the circle. At times borrowing elements of regalia—such as a fan, staff, or bustle—cowboys entered the arena in a hybrid attire that merged cowboy dress with powwow regalia. 

Curated by Adam Whitford, Curator & Exhibitions Manager
Preparator: Arianna Richardson, Lead Preparator

Hali Heavy Shield / Nato’yi’kina’soyi-Holy Light that Shines Bright (PhD) is a multidisciplinary artist, author, mentor and emerging curator from the Kainai Nation (Blood Tribe) in Southern Alberta. She is the first Blackfoot woman to earn a PhD from Iniskim, the University of Lethbridge, where her research and art practice include themes of identity, history, community, and Blackfoot pedagogy. Her research and creative projects center on Blackfoot storytelling traditions, and visual culture, with a focus on healing, land-based knowledge, and intergenerational learning.

Heavy Shield’s art spans mural work, beadwork, poetry, illustration, and digital media. Her work has been exhibited at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery, Lethbridge; the Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton; and various public art spaces throughout southern Alberta. She is also the author and illustrator of a children’s book inspired by her mother, Faye HeavyShield, an internationally renowned artist. Their shared experiences have deeply influenced Hali’s creative path, highlighting the importance of family, tradition, and the transmission of knowledge through art. In addition to her studio and literary work, Hali is a passionate educator, committed to supporting youth and artists through culturally responsive teaching and creative empowerment.

Hali Heavy Shield: Hat & Boot Dance is made possible through a partnership with Excite Lethbridge and the Southern Alberta Art Gallery Maansiksikaitsitapiitsinikssin.

Funding for this exhibition is generously supported by the Rozsa Foundation's Audience Development Funding Program.