Adele ᒪᐢᑿᓱᐏᐢᑵᐤ Arseneau

The impacts of the genocidal purpose of Residential “schools” are widespread, beyond society’s capacity of knowing. These 10 tihkinâkan ekwa wâspison (cradle board with mossbags) are the first of 161 pieces representing each individual institution engaged by the Canadian government to carry out its purpose of “removing the Indian from the child” as listed in the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. This initial offering names a school from each province who participated in these acts.

With the reclamation of the lost children through ground penetrating radar at these sites, the incredulous reaction of societal acknowledgment of these atrocities indicates the lack of education within its population. It is my hope and desire these little babies find their way home back into the hearts of the people who reside on these lands. Their stories no longer lost but acknowledged and passed along to each person to give them a chance to live once again.

This is personal, my grandparents and my mom were/are Residential “school” survivors. I invite each person affected by Residential “schools” to participate in this journey with me in making cradle board babies for our own inner child and healing. Let’s show the real and continued impact this has in the world and our lives. Please connect with me to find out how you can participate.

Kininaskometin/Maarsii/Mussi cho.

Adele ᒪᐢᑿᓽᐃᐢᑵᐤ Arseneau is a disabled, multidisciplinary Nehiyaw/Metis artist living and working on the traditional, unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Displaced from her family’s traditional territory of Northern Saskatchewan, Adele grew up with the Dakelh (Carrier) people of British Columbia in Prince George, and Fraser Lake.

Adele ᒪᐢᑿᓽᐃᐢᑵᐤ Arseneau, Find Them All - 10 of 161 Cradle board with Mossbag Babies (2021), Detail

Naomi Bourque

Naomi is inspired by the land: its organic shapes, colours, and textures, along with its literal offerings – the landscape, the flora, the fauna, and the animals that inhabit it. She has always been inspired by her cultural heritage and the traditional art and clothing that represents the indigenous people near and far from where she comes from; that being the Mackenzie Delta of the Northwest Territories. Growing up on Latham Island in Yellowknife surrounded by the water of the Great Slave Lake, and spending childhood summers on the Deh Cho (Mackenzie River) at her grandparent’s camp, has gifted to her love and appreciation for the beauty of the wild, the endearment of wide-open spaces.

Naomi Bourque was born and raised in Yellowknife, NT of Gwich’in and Métis descent, which inspires an earthy, organic approach to her work. Blending traditional materials with contemporary techniques allows Naomi to pay homage to her cultural heritage, whilst giving her work a distinctive edge.

Naomi completed the Jewellery and Small Object Design Program in 2013 at the Kootenay School of the Arts in Nelson, BC; and the Sculptural Metal Program at Kootenay School of the Arts in 2015. She currently resides in Nelson, BC.

Naomi Bourque, Axes & Blueberries (2021), Home-tanned moose hide, delica and charlotte beads, porcupine quills, 4" x 2.5", $450

Salisha Old Bull

I enjoy an array of mediums in artistry, but I have an affinity to flat-stitch beadwork. I am motivated by the Salish history and Indigenous place-based knowledge. I have learned that place gives a sense of self and allows a person to grow intellectually and continue to explore their possibilities in life. I feel that cultural preservation is a strong influence in my life, and I enjoy combining imagery that reflects cultural values. I use beadwork as an expression of the nature that reflects my tribal heritage. My craftsmanship cannot be possible without the upbringing and teaching of my grandmother, Rachel Arlee Bowers.

I am Salish and Apsaalooke and I was raised by my mother on the Flathead Indian Reservation, in Western Montana. My grandmother, and aunt had a large part in teaching me Salish values. I grew up admiring everything from the Salish cultural heritage. I also incorporate what I've learned from my Apsaalooke (Crow) background. I will strive to continue to practice our traditional lifeways throughout the seasons and pass them onto my children. This strong tie to our ways has allowed me to explore my love of art and integrate the love of Indigenous life into my work.

Salisha Old Bull, Chmtews’ Cradleboard (2014), Detail

Melody Markle

Melody’s current traditional art form is a practice she incorporates to reclaim her Anishinaabe teachings and culture. Weaving and braiding sweetgrass is one of the ways she expresses a connection to the land around her. Her work infuses traditional forms into patterns with deep spiritual and historical meaning in Anishinaabe culture. The sweetgrass hat is created and designed using natural elements like porcupine quills, leather, birch bark, sinew, and sweetgrass. Melody chose a sweetgrass to symbolize her Nokomis (grandmother’s summer hat) to share the story of how we need to honour our Mother Earth and give thanks to the plant medicines that she provides. Melody’s creations are often inspired by her Anishinaabe stories and teachings that continue to keep her grounded in where she comes from and hopes to pass along her knowledge and techniques to the next generation.

Melody Markle is an Algonquin Anishinaabe artist from Long Point, Winneway First Nation. For generations, her family has shared their artistic gifts through both traditional and contemporary forms, using Woodland style inspired by nature and the land. She often incorporates both traditional and contemporary materials into her art. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work at Ryerson University. Presently, Melody is exhibiting her Star Quilts at the Deer Lake Gallery show called, “"tântê ê-wî-itohtêyahk" which means wayfinding. Melody has exhibited her artwork in “Moving Through lines” at Seymour Art Gallery.

Melody Markle, Honouring our Mother (2019), Birchbark, sweetgrass, porcupine quills, 5" x 7" x 7", $1,100

Michelle Sound

The untitled works in progress are large photocopies of archival images that have been ripped and reworked with different materials. The two images are part of a larger series that are currently works in progress, the two images include my reserve/territory and pages from a Cree language book, These images contain loss, grief, longing and memory. The images are ripped to show the colonial violence that my family, and other Indigenous families, have experienced including residential school intergenerational trauma, loss of language, and displacement from our territories. These losses can never be fully healed but we can talk about our histories and realities through art, culture and stories.

Michelle Sound is a Cree and Métis artist, educator and mother. She is a member of Wapsewsipi/Swan River First Nation in Northern Alberta and was born and raised on the unceded and ancestral home territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tseil-Waututh people. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Simon Fraser University, School for the Contemporary Arts, and a Master of Applied Arts from Emily Carr University Art + Design. Michelle is currently an Indigenous Advisor at Douglas College and has taught workshops as a guest artist at the Richmond Art Gallery and the Bill Reid Gallery.

She has exhibited her artwork in Moving Throughlines (Seymour Art Gallery) and Winter Pandemic, (SoLA Contemporary Los Angeles) and upcoming exhibitions with the Daphne Art Centre (Montreal) and the Art Gallery of St Albert. Public art pieces include a utility box art wrap for the City of Vancouver and a painted mural exhibition in Ottawa-2018 nākateyimisowin/Taking Care of Oneself, Curated by Joi Arcand.

Michelle Sound, Untitled (Kinuso) (2021), Detail.