Jimmy Tim Whiskeychan

Tim Whiskeychan was born in Chibougamau, Quebec and adopted as an infant by Harry and Laura Whiskeychan, a traditional couple from isolated Cree village of Rupert’s House (Waskaganish) on the east coast of James Bay.

Tim’s talent for art was quickly recognized and encouraged by his teachers and by his father Harry, a well-know artist-craftsman whose tamarack branch sculptures are widely sought. After winning numerous awards throughout his school years, he went on to win an exhaustive list of commissions and prizes during his early adult years. He exhibits in many regional, provincial, national and international shows and travels widely in Canada, the United States and France as an ambassador of Cree artistic and cultural values.

Tim Whiskeychan works in a wide variety of mediums as he explores new ways to express his interpretations of Cree aesthetics using acrylics, watercolours, airbrush, stained glass, collage, etchings prints and cut steel panes. Although he himself continues to seek training from established artists, Tim’s passion for art also drives him to teach and encourage emerging Cree artists and to promote the arts within the Cree world. He holds the title of acting Curator of Creative Arts and Museology at the Waskaganish Cultural Institute and sits on the regional committee charged with the development of arts and crafts in the James Bay region of Quebec.