Creator Record
Metadata
Name |
Bomberry, Phyllis |
Notes |
Phyllis Bomberry Cayuga Nation Wolf Clan Phyllis was born to Sadie Martin and Alfred Bomberry in 1943. She resided at Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, Ontario where she worked in leatherwork, beading, and drawing. Aside from a few lessons in leatherwork at the Tandy store in Toronto and some college classes in cartooning, she was largely self-taught. She employed deer, moose, caribou, and cow hide to create tooled leather and pigment-based paintings. These works often feature culturally-inspired themes such as clan animals, wampum belt patterns, and stories. Both Phyllis's approach to leather and her use of beads are unconventional and enabled her to develop a distinct and identifiable style. She produced a wide range of leather and beaded items including wallets, purses, belts, moccasins, jackets, dresses, key fobs, lighter covers, and barrettes. She also explored the representational possibilities presented by adhering glass beads with glue and shellac to the surface of clocks, bowls, plates, and decorative wall hangings. While she enjoyed making art, Phyllis is much better known for her aptitude at softball. In her youth she played numerous sports including football, volleyball and lacrosse. But it would be softball that would become her passion, leading to a 25-year career that included several Canadian women's championships. She was the first female athlete to receive the Tom Longboat award in 1969 and led her team to a gold medal at the Canada Games in the same year. Marketing her creations took Phyllis to powwows, conferences, and other events. For many years she was a regular at the Iroquois Museum's festivals where she sold tacos and frybread, in addition to her art. Phyllis demonstrated of her skills at Western University (London, Ontario) and provided leatherworking instruction at schools on the Reserve. Her work is in the collections of the Iroquois Museum and the Woodland Cultural Center (Brantford, Ontario, CN). She is also represented in collections in Italy, Greece, and Australia. She passed on in 2019. *Bio text cannot be used in print or web publications without IIM permission. Use for other purposes (such as research papers, presentations) should credit the IIM. |
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