Alan Syliboy

Cultural Background: Mi’kmaq, Millbrook First Nations Reservations, Nova Scotia

Alan Syliboy was born and raised on the Millbrook First Nations Reservations in Nova Scotia, and like many others of his generation, he grew up believing that First Nations artwork was generic; or what you saw on television and other mass media sources. As a youth, feeling unsure of his talents and his identity, he found painting painful and difficult. It wasn’t until he met and studied privately with renowned Maliseet Artist, Shirley Bear, that he found his confidence and began to take his own path. He eventually found great inspiration in the petroglyphs of his ancestors that have been discovered in ancient rocks all over the Maritimes. This spiritual connection has become the driving force of his artwork over the past forty years.