about.
Camille Billie is an afro-Indigenous artist. She is an enrolled member of Oneida Nation, Wisconsin and is turtle clan; whose core value is to be keepers of the Earth. Since moving to Chicago in 2018, she's graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with her BA in Fine arts and emphasis in designed objects and student leadership award recipient.
Billie is a multi disciplinary artist engaging mostly with printmaking, beadwork and digital illustration. These pathways have allowed Billie to build stronger relationships with her culture, history and important principles in their nation's values. Camille creates and explores with this method in mind to connect with visitors while sharing stories, memories and calls to action surrounding environmentalism and community care through exhibitions and workshops.
Exhibitions & Acquisitions.
EXPO CHICAGO 2024
Navy Pier
April 24- April 27, 2024
EXPO CHICAGO showcases leading contemporary and modern art galleries each April at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall, alongside a diverse and inventive program of talks, on-site installations, and public art initiatives. Inaugurated in 2012, EXPO CHICAGO draws upon the city’s rich history as a vibrant international cultural destination, while highlighting the region’s contemporary arts community. In 2023, EXPO CHICAGO was acquired by Frieze, the world’s leading platform for modern and contemporary art.
Camille Billie was one of four featured artists in Center For Native Futures booth for EXPO CHICAGO 2024.
Stand Together!
Miller Art Museum
July 12 - September 21, 2024
On the Ruth Morton Miller Mezzanine which features work by Camille Billie, Oneida Nation; Weeya Calif, Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama; Pat Kruse, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa; and Christopher Sweet, Ho Chunk Nation/Ojibwe. The exhibit explores the creative culture of Woodland artists from around the Great Lakes.
Indigenous Chicago
Newberry Library
September 12, 2024- January 4, 2025
Home to the Potawatomi, Odawa, Ojibwe, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Myaamia, Wea, Sauk, Meskwaki, and Ho-Chunk peoples, the place we now call Chicago has long been a historic crossroads for many Indigenous people and remains home to an extensive urban Native community. Yet most Chicagoans are unaware of the city’s history as a home to diverse Indigenous peoples and the vibrant Indigenous communities present today. Part of a multifaceted initiative developed in partnership between the Newberry, advisors from the Chicago Native community, and representatives from tribal nations with historic connections to Chicago, this exhibition reflects the dynamic and complex aspects of Native life in Chicago from the seventeenth century to the present. The exhibition draws largely on the Newberry's collection while also showcasing new work by contemporary Native artists, including Jason Wesaw (Pokagon Band of Potawatomi), Camille Billie (Oneida), and Jim Terry (Ho-Chunk).
Illinois State Museum
Illinois State Museum
Summer 2024, Illinois State Museum acquired three prints by Camille Billie for their permanent collection.
These purchases for the art collection were funded from Illinois State Museum Society's Guerry and Michelle Suggs Diversity Acquisition Fund.
Two of the three works are on display for 2025 Native Heritage Month.
Waterways
Schingoethe Center
August 27 - December 12, 2024
Waterways is co-curated by The Schingoethe Center’s Director, Dr. Natasha Ritsma, and Art Curator from the Illinois State Museum, Doug Stapleton. This exhibition will feature photographs, sculptures, prints, and installation pieces by more than twenty five artists addressing historical, geological, and environmental issues related to waterways in the Midwest. Situated between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River, the two largest freshwater systems in North America, this exhibition will examine social and political, historical, and poetic artistic responses to existing in proximity to these vital waterways.
The Schingoethe Center has acquired one framed print of Riverbend which will remain in permanent collections after Waterways closes.
"Native Futures" inaugural exhibition
Center For Native Futures
September 16, 2023- May 17, 2024
The inaugural “Native Futures” exhibition features more than a dozen established and emerging Native artists in the Great Lakes region, including works by CfNF co-founders, Noelle Garcia, Kelly Church, Jason Wesaw, Tom Jones, Holly Wilson, John Hitchcock, Camille Billie, June Carpenter, Codak Smith, Le’Ana Asher, Dakota Mace, Ji Hae Yepa-Pappan, Chelsea Big Horn, Lydia Cheshewalla, Hattie Lee, X and TIES poets.
