Dawn Saunders Dahl

Biography

Dawn Saunders Dahl is of British, Norwegian and Métis (Ojibway, Red River) ancestry. She brings a wealth of experience as a practicing artist, curator, arts administrator and Indigenous arts cultural programmer. Most recently Dawn served as Curator/Director of Indigenous Programs and Relationships at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies. She previously held the position of Associate Director of Indigenous Arts at the Banff Centre, as well as Curator for Galerie Cite, La Cite Francophone, Edmonton. She has also served as the Arts and Events Coordinator for the Town of Canmore where she established new relationships and programs between the Town and Iyethka (Stoney) communities. Dawn has served as the Director of The Works Art and Design Festival and was the Public Art Officer (Aboriginal Art Park) with the Edmonton Arts Council. Most recently Dawn is the curator of Indigenous public art at Adisoke, the City of Ottawa Library and National Library and Archives joint facility, opening in fall/winter 2026. Dawn currently operates Listen Studios in Canmore and is the painting / drawing instructor at Red Deer Polytechnic.

She is honoured to be a member of the Métis Nation of Alberta and was gifted a Iyethka (Stoney) name. Her strong support for Indigenous rights grew stronger when she attended the last Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Edmonton. There, she pledged to acknowledge her own advantages and work to include Indigenous viewpoints in her roles in arts management.

In 2025 Dawn received the King Charles III Coronation Medal. Dawn has also received funding from the Canada Council, Alberta Foundation for the Arts and the Edmonton Arts Council for her own art practices and professional development. On behalf of the organizations she has worked for, Dawn also led successful funding requests from numerous community foundations, Canada Council for the Arts, Canadian Heritage Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Parks Canada and numerous other funding sources for her work to develop projects alongside Indigenous communities in Alberta.

Education

• Alberta College of Art and Design Calgary, Alberta Bachelor of Fine Art: Major Painting 1998 Major Ceramics 1999 Minor Art History and English
• Red Deer College Red Deer, Alberta Art and Design Diploma: Painting, Sculpture, Ceramics