Alan Syliboy
Women of the Forest, 1987
silkscreen on paper
Collection of the Owens Art Gallery, Mount Allison University
Purchased with the assistance of the Canada Council for the Arts
Alan Syliboy is an established Mi’kmaq artist who was born and raised in Truro and lives at Millbrook First Nation. He looks to the Indigenous Mi’kmaq petroglyph (stone etchings) tradition for inspiration and developed his own artistic vocabulary out of those forms. Working in acrylic and mixed media, he creates vibrantly coloured images exploring the themes of family, searching, spirituality, struggle, and strength.
Alan Syliboy
Dancer, 1987
silkscreen on paper
Collection of the Owens Art Gallery, Mount Allison University
Purchased with the assistance of the Canada Council for the Arts
About the Artist
Alan Syliboy grew up believing that native art was generic. “As a youth, I found painting difficult and painful, because I was unsure of my identity.” But his confidence grew in 1972 when he studied privately with Shirley Bear. He then attended the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, where 25 years later, he was invited to sit on the Board of Governors. Syliboy looked to the indigenous Mi’kmaq petroglyph tradition for inspiration and developed his own artistic vocabulary out of those forms. His popularization of these symbolic icons has conferred on them a mainstream legitimacy that restores community pride in its Mi’kmaq heritage.
Alan Syliboy’s work can be found in private collections throughout Canada and in the permanent collections of public galleries. His work is also found in the collection of St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish NS where he received an honorary degree in 2017.
Alan still lives and works in Millbrook, NS, where he was born and raised.
Learn More
Watch Alan Syliboy’s 2025 artist talk. Organized in collaboration with SappyFest
