Born in Sainte-Marthe, Saskatchewan, Joe Fafard graduated from the university of Manitoba with a B.S.A in 1966 and then later in 1968 a M.F.A. from Pennsylvania State University. After graduating in 1968, he taught sculpture at the University of Regina until 1974. He has been described as one of Canada's foremost artists, as Joe Fafard has been creating art, especially sculptures, for over four decades.
Julienne Atelier, in Pense, Saskatchewan, was a major development. Built in the 1980's, the foundry served as a basis for a lot of his sculpture. Heavily influenced by his Saskatchewan surroundings, Joe Fafard often creates sculptures of farm animals. The emotion he puts into his creations has gained him international recognition, and it is common to find his creations in private collections all over the Earth.
Joe was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1981. In 2002, he was awarded the Saskatchewan Order of Merit.