In 2021, the University of Regina President’s Art Collection was the lucky recipient of a generous donation of artwork from Wayne Baerwaldt, Blake Little, and Sheila Spence. Included in the gifts were 24 photographs by Blake Little and 6 by Sheila Spence, which will complement existing work in the Collection by those artists. Spence and Little’s work focuses on iconic portraits of the ranching community; cowboys, cowgirls and rodeo performers. These images explore notions of performativity, identity, self-representation and community.

We’re thrilled to be the recipients of this generous gift of work by Blake Little and Sheila Spence. Their use of portraiture gives the viewer rich insight into members of the rodeo community, through each artist’s singular perspective. I love seeing how people choose to present themselves to the camera - the way they style themselves, their expressions, their body language - all these things tell us a little bit about what matters to these subjects and how they relate to their community. That this world is explored through the lens of two queer artists will be also exciting for viewers to see on our campus.

- Alex King, Curator/Preparator