CV
Education
2023 Espace Verre / Cégep Du Vieux Montréal
DEC in Techniques of art trades - glass option
2013 Fashion Design | Lasalle College, Montreal
Artwork presented to the public
2025 Quanta+Phi (Solo exhibit), Maison de la Culture Claude-Leveillée, Montreal
2024 L’étrange couleur de la transparence — (Groupe exhibit) Espace Verre, Montreal
2023 Carpe Vitrum — (Groupe exhibit of graduating class), Espace Verre, Montreal
2023 Bridges — (Groupe exhibit) International Mathematical Arts Conference, Halifax
2022 Valise — (Groupe exhibit) Gallery Occurrence, Montreal
2019 Montreal Salon d’Art NDG 3 — (Groupe exhibit) Gallery Métèque/Native Immigrant, Montreal
2018 Tionnhehkwen Visions of Seeds — (Groupe exhibit) Gallery Métèque/Native Immigrant, Montreal
Arts and cultural work experience
2019 to 2025 (current)
Production Manager and Head Studio Technician for Nico Williams, leading the production team in weaving and assembling contemporary beadwork sculptures made of glass beads, public art projects, workshops, and installations.
2024 Hired for consultation on beadwork project by Kapawani Kiwanga and the National Gallery of Canada for 2024 Venice Biennale Pavillion, Montreal
Teaching and mentorships
2025 Peyote-stitch beadwork fundamental techniques workshop
2024 Beaded embellishment techniques workshop, given at the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation, Art gallery in M'Chigeeng First Nation, Ontario
2024 Turkey-stitch embroidery workshop, given at BBam Gallery, Montreal
2024 Peyote-stitch Shooting Star earring workshop, given at BBam Gallery, Montreal
2023 Peyote Stitch Triangle workshops, assisted Nico Williams in teaching 4 groups of children and adults at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), New York City
Residencies
1 Sept to 1 Oct 2025 (upcoming) Laureate of the Gilles Desnauliers Residency 2024, Atelier Silex in Trois-Rivière, Qc
Awards and community recognition
2024 Donald Robertson Grant 2024, Espace Verre, Montreal
2024 Gilles Desnauliers Residency 2024 in Trois-Rivières, Espace Verre, Montreal
2023 Houdé-Mendel Grant 2023, Espace Verre, Montreal
2023 Glass and Society Grant 2023, Espace Verre, Montreal
2023 Grant from the Foundation Making the Différence, Espace Verre, Montreal
2021 Scholarship for Perseverance, Espace Verre, Montreal
Biography
Samwell Guertin (b.1992) is a multidisciplinary visual artist based in Montréal, originally from Ottawa. His practice centers on glass sculpture and beadwork, exploring the material and symbolic possibilities of craft through form, pattern, and process.
After moving to Montréal in 2011 to study fashion design, Guertin began to incorporate beadwork into his creative practice—a medium that has since become foundational to his artistic identity. In 2023, he graduated from the glass arts program at Cégep du Vieux Montréal, further expanding his sculptural vocabulary through techniques including kiln-forming, glassblowing, and neon.
For the past decade, he has worked as the head technician for Anishinaabe artist Nico Williams, leading the production of artworks and large-scale installations. This experience has deepened his technical skills and instilled a strong sense of collaboration, precision, and leadership within the studio environment.
In 2025, Guertin held his first solo exhibition, Quanta+phi, at the Maison de la Culture Villeray. The show featured a body of work in both glass and beadwork, highlighting the convergence of scientific structure and poetic materiality in his practice.
His work has also been shown at the 2023 Bridges Conference in Halifax and in exhibitions with Espace Verre’s 32nd graduating cohort. He is the recipient of several awards, including the Bourse Houdé Houdé-Mendel, Faire la Différence, and Verre et Société, and continues to engage in collaborative projects that expand the scope and reach of his artistic vision.