Tyson Houseman is a nehiyaw (plains cree) interdisciplinary video and performance artist, puppeteer, and filmmaker from Paul First Nation and Ermineskin Cree Nation. Their practice focuses on aspects of nehiyaw ideologies and teachings – speaking to Indigenous notions of non-linear time and the interwoven relations between humans and their ecologies. His work embraces ephemerality, ranging from immersive interactive installations to multimedia live video performance events.
He has exhibited at various galleries, screenings, and film/media festivals across the U.S. and Canada. Most recently, he participated in artist residencies at Wassaic Project, Vermont Studio Center, the Institute for Electronic Arts at Alfred University, and Locust Projects in Miami, FL. Houseman is an upcoming recipient of the summer 2025 Open Call commissioning program at The Shed in NYC, and a 2025 COUSIN Collective awardee.
Along with producing his own works, he directs documentary film and music videos, and is a touring puppeteer on various live cinema performances created by DJ Kid Koala. He also spends his summers working with the historic Bread & Puppet Theater in Glover, VT. Houseman has a M.F.A. in fine arts from School of Visual Arts in NYC and a B.F.A. in theatre performance from Concordia University in Montreal.
While at MacDowell, Houseman continued research and development for his upcoming documentary project titled Caustics, examining land-based perspectives on non-linear time as told through Indigenous frameworks and teachings by his grandfather, Ken Roan. Caustics was commissioned by COUSIN Collective, and Houseman was also awarded a 2025 fellowship from Forge Project to support development and production. He also began work on a new multi-channel video installation using footage gathered from the land that MacDowell resides on.
