About

Christopher Friesen is a painter, community advocate and an educator. Friesen lives in Langley, British Columbia. Friesen was born in Chilliwack, British Columbia. His work has been shown extensively throughout Western Canada in public and commercial galleries. Friesen has work in international public, private and corporate collections. His teaching focuses on painting, drawing and different modes of cultural discourse ranging from specific formal painting concerns to community engagement through mural projects. Friesen is an Associate Professor at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) in the School of Creative Arts (SoCA). Prior to UFV, He worked as a sessional instructor at the University of Regina. Friesen is past president of the Abbotsford Arts Council (serving on the Board of Directors from 2004-2022). He was also a past executive on the board of directors for the Friends of Public Art in Abbotsford and a former advisor on the Arts and Heritage Advisory Committee to the City of Abbotsford. Friesen currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Fort Gallery. Friesen has been involved in bringing numerous artists in to the community of Abbotsford to present their research. He has been on juries for public art proposals to the City of Abbotsford as well as a juror, founder and committee member of the Fraser Valley Regional Biennale 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019. He received his Bachelors of Fine Arts (BFA) from the University of Lethbridge and his Masters Degree in Fine Art (MFA) from the University of Regina.