Simone Elizabeth Saunders: Encompass The Galaxy

Key contributors: Farquharson, Rachel Anne, editor. | Containter of (work): Baumgardner, Julie. To be bolder, to strike closer to connection. | Containter of (work): Crooks, Julie. Simone Saunders. 

Published by Contemporary Calgary / edited by Rachel Anne Farquharson

Simone Elizabeth Saunders: Encompass the Galaxy is a powerful debut monograph chronicling the rise and resonance of one of Canada’s most compelling contemporary textile artists. Spanning 40 works from 2020 to 2023, this richly illustrated volume captures a pivotal moment in both global history and Saunders’ personal artistic evolution.

During the COVID-19 pandemic and the global rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, Saunders’ vibrant, hand-tufted textiles—steeped in themes of Black womanhood, ancestral memory, and resistance—garnered international acclaim. Through her signature punch needle technique, she transforms fibre into a language of strength, storytelling, and survival.

This publication highlights Saunders' acclaimed series Protect Black Women, Ancestral Bodies, and Verchü and the Chronicles of the Unicorn, offering insight into her practice, process, and unwavering commitment to justice and joy. Alongside a foreword by editor Rachel Anne Farquharson, Encompass the Galaxy features texts by Julie Baumgardner and Julie Crooks, poetry by Saunders herself, and a Q&A between the artist and Contemporary Calgary's Senior Curator Kanika Anand—all of which contextualize Saunders’ work within broader conversations about race, gender, heritage, and materiality.

Published by Contemporary Calgary with generous support from The Flanagan Foundation, RBC, Dr. John Lacey CM, the Canada Council for the Arts, and other community partners, this book is a landmark contribution to the scholarship of Black Canadian art and a testament to Saunders’ enduring vision.

LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION

Identifiers: Canadiana 20250105969 | ISBN 9780995912113 (hardcover)

Subjects: LCSH: Saunders, Simone Elizabeth—Criticism and interpretation. | LCSH: Textile artists—Canada—Biography. | LCGFT: Biographies.

Classification: LCC NK8898.S38 S56 2025 | DDC 746.092—dc23