(b.1992, Prince Albert, Sk. Canada)
Where to start? Some ramblings about myself...
I identify as a Cree-Métis visual artist with my ancestry being of Cree, Sioux, and Métis from my father's side and European from my mothers.
I currently live in Melbourne, Australia, where I have just completed my Graduate research degree at the University of Melbourne. I enrolled in the Masters of Fine Arts - Indigenous Arts and Culture course offered by the Victorian College of the Arts and the Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development. My research, presented as creative works and a thesis, considers cultural identity and representation in relation to contemporary Cree-Métis art-based practices, practiced in a transnational Indigenous context. Uniting mentorship and artmaking, my research entwines Indigenous art practices and knowledges through techniques of artmaking and attention to protocols from Canada and Australia. Connecting to country and family from home and abroad, the research is a way to investigate, deepen, and understand my Cree-Métis identity, rooted across time, people, and place. My thesis can be read here.
Prior to that, I studied and completed my Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours (graduating with High Honours) at the University of Saskatchewan in 2015. While there, I enrolled in various studio classes which kickstarted my pursuit into the arts with a focus on painting, printmaking, and drawing.
In the summer of 2013, I was accepted into an art restoration program offered through the International Institute for Restoration and Preservation Studies in San Gemini, Italy. While there I studied traditional painting techniques and restoration theory, which inevitably sparked my interest in restoration practices.
Looking at my body of artwork produced as a whole, my work is incredibly diverse in choices of mediums, subject matter, themes, concepts, and style. I believe this diversity and opportunity to experiment with my art helps allow me to best express myself and the stories I try to tell within my work.
A large part of my artwork is my method of understanding my Indigenous identity and heritage, as well as the present-day and historical conflicts of Indigenous peoples faced throughout Canadian and global contexts. I hope to stimulate conversations towards reconciliation and cultural revitalisation.
I have received many awards and acknowledgements, such as:
-Melbourne Graduate Research Scholarship, a full funding scholarship awarded to high achieving students undertaking a graduate by research degree.
-Clyde and Co. Graduate Art Award (2019/20)
-Placing first in the Aboriginal Arts and Stories Competition, for my work ‘Keeper of the Voice’, which was created to raise awareness for the need to preserve and rehabilitate dying Indigenous languages. You can read more about that here.
-Awarded the Governor Generals History Award in November 2014 for my work.
I have been involved in numerous boards and organisations, including;
The Indigenous Graduate Student Association (IGSA) at the University of Melbourne acting as secretary. I was with the Alliance For Intergenerational Resilience for its inaugural summit in 2015 and now work as an executive board member and Youth Representative. Our initiative is to create ideas through art, collaborative projects, and social media on ways to create movements of resilience and reconciliation.
I have worked and studied under various Indigenous artists, The School of Public Health, and various organisations to develop knowledge mobilisation projects. I have worked in partnership with the Saskatoon Tribal council on The Child Taken Project; a collaborative commemorative art project designed to honour the generations of children who were separated from their families. This work is now part of a national archive for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
I have exhibited in numerous galleries and group shows globally as well as had my work published in various media outlets. My work is included in numerous private art collections.
I love to do custom and commission work, so please feel free to drop me an e-mail and we can create something beautiful together!