Joe Fafard


Joseph Fafard was a Canadian sculptor.

Biography

Joseph Fafard was a twelfth generation Canadian born in 1942 in Ste. Marthe, Saskatchewan, to French Canadians Leopold Fafard and Julienne Cantin. Joe is a descendant of Jacques Goulet. He received a B.F.A from the University of Manitoba in 1966 and a M.F.A. from Pennsylvania State University in 1968. From 1968 to 1974, he taught sculpture at the University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus.
He was a visiting lecturer at the University of California, Davis in 1980-1981. He received several awards throughout his professional career including being named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1981, the Architectural Institute of Canada Allied Arts Award in 1987, the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2002, the National Prix Montfort in 2003, and the Lieutenant Governor's Saskatchewan Centennial Medal for the Arts in 2005. He also received Honorary Doctorate Degrees from the University of Regina and University of Manitoba.
Throughout his career Fafard sculpted with plaster, clay, and bronze, which was his primary medium in the 1980s. His work was heavily influenced by his Saskatchewan surroundings, and ranged in size from handheld to larger than life-sized. In 1985 he opened the Julienne Atelier foundry in Pense, Saskatchewan, where he was based for the majority of his working years.
Fafard's works have been shown internationally in countries including the United States, Great Britain, France and Japan. His art was featured on a series of postage stamps issued by Canada Post in 2012.
The National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa installed his colourful Running Horses in 2011 adjacent to the Sussex Drive entrance.
He died at his home outside of Lumsden, Saskatchewan on March 16, 2019 from stomach cancer at the age of 76.

Public works