INDIGIKNITS
(LandBack Series)
Yarn
2022
What started years ago as a teenage exploration on the art of yarnbombing, has grown row by row, stitch by stitch, into the reclaiming of space, land, and language. Having been fascinated by the various techniques of implementing colour work into my knitting, I soon found myself needing to create my own knitting charts. Not just any old knitting charts, knitting charts that expressed Nêhiyawêwin. A language that was spoken by my ancestors and kin, yet one that I have not had access to. In creating my knitting chart, I’ve explored the themes of language revitalization as well as Indigenous land sovereignty. As the removal of Indigenous languages is intrinsically tied to the removal of Indigenous peoples from Indigenous lands. I wanted to create a piece that confronts the viewers relationship to the lands they occupy. My ultimate goal was to disrupt settler colonialism, simply by seeing Indigenous languages taking up space on Indigenous lands.
Nêhiyaw, photography based artist, Joi Arcand has been a continued source of inspiration in the development of my work. Arcand’s work deals with the revitalization of Cree language and the struggle in its recovery. Her works give answer to what our world might have looked like had colonial language not been forced upon the Indigenous peoples of these lands we call “Canada.” I experienced the struggle that Arcand references in the recovery of Nêhiyawêwin, in the creation of my own work. Not being a fluent Cree speaker myself, and not having access to Cree language speakers, my work is bound to the translations utilized via Cree to English dictionary websites and apps. I opted for a literal translation of LandBack which reads “askiykâwi” in Cree, portrayed in my work through the syllabic symbols of Nêhiyawêwin.
After creating my knit graph I set to work. I chose the red and white colour scheme as a rejection of the national colours of the colonial nation of Canada. Knitting day and night for the past two months, completed by weaving in ends, and sewing together patches of knit work. Finally coming to a finish near the end of December 2022. I plan to create more INDIGIKNIT works, releasing my knit graphs to the public so that craftivists and knitters from across the world may weave LandBack into their lives one stitch at a time.
About Madeson
Madeson Singh is a Cree-Punjabi artist from treaty 8 territory and member of the Mikisew Cree First Nation. Working through a range of mediums her practice can be described as multidisciplinary and constantly evolving. Her current fixation is on fibrework, fueled by the large amounts of yarn she’s accumulated through the years. Much of her work deals with relationships to land, language, identity, culture, and Indigenous sovereignty and survivance.
Endless Night
Video, music, poem
3:47 mins
2022
https://youtu.be/rWdbN3uwdjg
I chose to write a song and record a music video for it, editing the film in Adobe Premiere Pro. I felt I would be able to convey my ability to create work across different mediums by proposing this project. I wrote a song, recorded it with my band, “Desert Orchid” I then filmed us jamming, and then took all that material and worked with it. I used video editing techniques like overlaying individual clips to create a sense of juxtaposition and to make imagery for the lyrical content. The film consists of shots of the band performing the song, but I also wanted to merge shots of trees, the sun, the moon, snow. I also wanted dark undertones, so I think the raw footage combined with minimal filtering helped add to the desired aesthetic.
I feel the work I create isn’t for some grand purpose or to fill some niche position, it’s more like a way of paying homage to all my inspirations. It’s a way for my brain to say, “Look, I can do that, too.” So, when I draw or play guitar its mostly mimicry, observing and learning from the best on how to better myself and my creative practice. I find this style of work is meaningful to me because I love to play music, especially with my brothers, and this is good practice in song writing and song editing. Some of my biggest inspirations expressed themselves through different mediums - some very hardcore ones too, mind you. I am in part inspired by great tattoo artists like Ed Hardy and Sailor Jerry who paved the way for American tattoo styles. Other inspirations include DJ Muggs, who influenced so many other producers of his time with his band Cypress Hill, and Tony Lommi, the mastermind behind Black Sabbath who is one of the most influential heavy guitarists. To me, they all seemed to have this fiery youth that they were able to capture in a bottle, and that is what I tried to do in this project.
Rather than worry about getting it right, I tried to relax and just let this song, Endless Night, write itself, and it eventually worked. At first, I faced difficulty relating the theme of the song to the theme of the course, Indigenous art, but after talking with the instructor, I became more assured in myself as everything about this music video is Indigenous because it is Indigenous in production. I think one of the major challenges was finding time to film and record the music. I have a hard time focusing on projects sometimes and struggle to get work done. But I persevered and wrote the song and recorded the video.
As you listen and watch Endless Night, I would like you to ask yourself what an endless night is….
About Cashius
My name is Cashius Klay Hungry-Wolf. I was born in and currently live in Lethbridge, and I am a member of the Blood Tribe, First Nation. I am a first-year student at the University of Lethbridge studying music, art, drama, and Indigenous Studies. A recent class that helped shape my thoughts and skills was Intro to Indigenous Studies, where I learned the importance of understanding our history with the government of Canada. Other important classes I have taken are art courses, which have helped me develop in areas such as drawing and sketching. Finally, Intro to Music Technology, where I learned how to record and mix music, was an impactful class which inspired me to produce more of my own music.
I wish to hone my skills across all areas of music and video creation because I find the world of music production very fun and interesting. With the recent enlightenment around the history of the residential school system and the unjust treatment Indigenous people have faced and continue to face, there is a wave of opportunities opening up for Indigenous artists. So, being Indigenous myself I would be crazy not to ride the wave, right?
The Me from Within
Cedar, acrylic paint
2022
Caroline’s piece, “The Me from Within,” is a self-discovery piece using cedar driftwood found at a local wood supply store, approximately 4 feet 5 inches tall. Embracing her roller derby persona, Coach Meow, this powerful piece shows the viewer that strength can come from within and discovered at any time in one’s life. Coach Meow – she is fierce, intense, passionate, and an advocate for gender-safe spaces for all youth and adults. Caroline saw a strong woman on the cedar, looking up and holding a star – the knots of the cedar here in line to show where her heart was, and the flow of the dress and hair brought the image to life. Caroline connected the piece with a poem (below) and a video showing the creation of the project (link below). Showing process was important. Caroline embraced fine lines and bold colours with acrylic paints, blending to provide a fade from top to bottom. Stipple work following the trees natural lines shows the connection of art and material. This piece has not yet found its permanent home, for now, it will greet Caroline’s family as they come home.
The Me from Within
I saw the wood out of the corner of my eye
Tried back from falling, labeled discounted, not fancy, not aromatic, no needed
I saw a woman, standing tall, empowered, looking up to the stars
I walked around her and gazed upon her worn sides, discovering her imperfections
I could work with this, I said to myself
She is like me, a work in progress
I sanded her own, cleared her, brought her back to life, giving her back her power
No longer misunderstood, No longer put to the side
She stands grounded without support
Her owl to protect her, her skate beating in her chest, the waves flowing through her veins
Her energy and empowerment moving out of her hands and up to the stars
She is free to stand in her beauty until the wood goes back to the earth
To nourish my next piece of art
About Caroline
Caroline Reimer, nee Forbes-Bibeau, was born in Saanich, British Columbia, on April 6th, 1979. She lived on Pender Island, BC, for the first 12 years of her life. Caroline’s birth father, an oil painter, and craftsman, taught her to appreciate the materials right in front of her; the beach had wood and rocks, shells, and stories. Caroline moved after her father’s death in 1991 to Kimberley, BC; her mom remarried, and they moved to Petitcodiac, NB, for sixteen months, then returned to the East Kootenay’s, where she graduated from Selkirk Secondary with honours in 1997. Caroline moved to Lethbridge in the fall of 1997 where she resides with her husband, two teen children, and dog, Ginger. She decided to attend University in 2017 after a 17-year insurance career. Caroline is currently a fifth-year General Social Science and Physical Education combined major student. Her General Science streams include Kinesiology, Geography, and Indigenous Studies.
Caroline’s creative practice has been greatly influenced by the West Coast. Her work has been shaped by the visual languages she grew up around including traditional and contemporary Coast Salish, Haida, and Northwest Coast art. Through her arts education, Caroline has begun to discover her own creative style, pulling from artists like Bill Reid, Ron Vickers, Trevor Hunt, and Maxine Noel. Caroline also draws inspiration from her coaching of roller derby – the athletes and the sport itself gives Caroline the power to discover her artistic side.
Caroline is moving forward with a degree in physical education but will be bringing the art aspect of her life with her, as she feels it, too, should no longer be suppressed and should be as bold as she is.
Reconciliation through Oral Story Telling
2022
Canvas, Poster Paper, Glue, Poster Board
With my project, I wanted to achieve a learning strategy that introduces students to learn from a non-colonial approach involving traditional oral stories. My idea is to implement the concept of our Blackfoot heritage in recognition of the Writing on Stone site, as well as the pictographs used and displayed on hides from our ancestor’s history. Personally, this project is important as it can be a small step to revitalizing our culture in the education system today.
Therefore, as a former teacher assistant, I wanted this project to be based on active play and visual learning as it was for our Blackfoot people in the past. I also do believe students learn best when they are actively engaged in their learning.
With the concept of traditional oral stories, I wanted to create a tipi that resemble its traditional form and authenticity. I used canvas to resemble its nature. In a more modern form, I wanted the pictographs to be used and displayed digitally for the students to perceive its meaning freely.
I believe this project relates to the course evolving around the concept of reconciliation. By this, I wanted students to get in touch with our stories told in our original traditional perspective using Blackfoot pictographs. With the residential school system interrupting the process and preservation of our Blackfoot heritage, I do believe this learning strategy is one step that can reconcile the idea of storytelling in its natural form.
During the process of this project, I did face a few challenges. First, was how I was going to accomplish the meaning behind each pictograph and how they should be represented. I do not have a lot of experience in creative art using traditional pictographs that have certain meanings and I did not want to cross over any original designs that could have a different meaning or value. To help clear any confusion, I resorted to Bull Plume’s Wintercount and James Dempsey’s book “Blackfoot War Art: Pictographs of the Reservation Period”. I focused on the stories from each resource and made notes to how the pictographs gave a meaning or story. This allowed me to freely enhance the symbolisms I’ve created to relate to the Buffalo Stone story.
The second challenge I faced was the creation of the tipi itself. As someone with no experience to sewing, I did have to reach out for assistance as the tipi began to fray. With the help of my aunt, she taught and guided me on how to sew properly. This experience also gave me a new insight to sewing and I also made my very first ribbon skirt during the process.
Unfortunately, the tipi I originally made was accidentally destroyed by water exposure. With this, I was able to borrow a tipi from a teacher. Though this tipi was not made similar with my original tipi, I had to improvise with my pictograph attachments as the magnets would not connect through the thick canvas. The pictographs also had to be placed from top to bottom than my original idea of placing them from one end to the other.
The question I would have for my viewers, is how can this project be expanded towards other traditional oral stories? How can I also expand this project towards high school students?
About Taylor
Taylor Chief Calf-Bastien (Iniskimiaki – Buffalo Stone Woman) is from the Blood Reserve and represents the Many Children’s clan. She is currently a 4th year University of Lethbridge student majoring in Education with a minor in Indigenous Studies and Art. Taylor aspires to become a teacher in the next couple of years hoping to be working on the Blood Reserve.
Taylor’s involvement with art began with traditional beading. Taught firsthand by her late grandmother Elsie First Rider at the age of 12, she has been creating beadwork regalia and accessories for herself and extended family since. Her interest in creative art has expanded by transforming her beadwork style and designs into acrylic painting and most recently has captured an interest in Photography. With her experience competing and dancing as a jingle and traditional dancer, photography has shaped her focus in capturing the movement of dancing and storytelling.
With her work, Taylor expresses stories and personal perspectives that surrounds her Blackfoot ancestry and culture. With her pursue in education, she believes to engage with reconciliation by bringing cultural revitalization into a classroom environment in art form. Her personal philosophy towards working in a classroom setting, is to establish a learning framework to a traditional practice from a non-colonial approach. With this prospect, she hopes to achieve and reconnect with her Blackfoot heritage along with her future students.
Self Portrait
2022
Digital drawing
Portraiture is the practice of depicting the external features of an individual's face while slightly encapsulating personality. I wanted to use portraiture to show the internal part of myself while dealing with my own mental health battles. While in the hospital, I overheard a nurse talking to another nurse about my appearance and that it was crazy to hear how someone she perceived so beautiful and was envious of could have such feelings of worry, worthlessness and disgust. This highlighted my perception of how people only see the external parts of you and expect you to uphold a certain standard and have it “all together”. Nobody sees into your internal parts
and thoughts, and when you express them, you are demanded to suppress them, or you're being irrational for expressing too much. Anxiety and mental illnesses are more commonly diagnosed in females and can be fueled by the gendered societal expectations of female physical appearance. This piece represents my internal complexity while challenging gender-biased societal norms surrounding females’ appearance and mental health created by patriarchal foundations.
I chose to use digital collage for this piece as technology is an accessible medium that I'm comfortable using, allowing freedom of choice and expression of all my internal thoughts during the artistic process. Art is a form of therapy to me, and through the practice of collage, I can convey all the internal thoughts in my head and distance myself from them. By distancing myself, I can take a step back and regulate my emotions and thoughts better, allowing me to question myself. Art therapy works to heal anxiety by helping individuals feel a sense of calm, express themselves, and become more self-aware. The creative art process is based on the belief that self-expression can help resolve inner conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behaviour, lessen stress, and increase self-awareness. The distance to the anxiety that was created while making my piece allowed me to look at myself completely differently. When creating art, the individual is in control of the situation and can predict what will happen next, which counterbalances overthinking and fear.
The less structured form of collage allows me to express everything I'm feeling and think is symbolic in one piece while having control of the process. I chose to overlay a composite portrait multiple times until the characteristics of my face were non-recognizable. I wanted to remove all internal worries about the opinions of physical appearance and focus on the internal complexity within me, the individual. All external features of my face are abstracted, unconforming to society's beauty ideals/standards, showing the repetition of thought. Anxiety and other mental illnesses in women have historically been diagnosed with “hysteria,” a mythical female disorder blamed on sensitive nerves.
The social pressures put on young females contribute immensely to the looming anxiety over appearance and fears of being judged by their appearance. From a very young age, beliefs in the society of the feminine beauty ideal are pushed upon girls through advertising, social media and social interactions. This creates more stress, leading to more anxiety and depression, which can also be stigmatized. Women are two times more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety and have a higher rate of mood disorders than males. Still, many women avoid getting help due to internalized self-stigmas formed by their self-image by how other individuals perceive them. But some individuals face more than just gender bias as implicit biases on the basis of race, class, weight, sexual orientation, and trans status can all affect clinical care as well. Women are often socialized to suppress their emotions and be obedient to men and are expected to be calm, rational and peaceful. Still, research shows females have been disproportionately affected by public health emergencies, with greater physical and mental health risks due to multiple caregiving burdens, risks of gender-based violence, and other socio-economic vulnerabilities. The repeated overlaying of a composite sketch is used to convey the internal complexity of my thoughts which makes up who I am and how I view myself as an individual, challenging the gender-biased stereotypes surrounding women's appearance and mental health formed
by a patriarchal society.
The most challenging part of the artistic process for me was finally being able to distance and separate myself from my thoughts about how I wanted my piece to be presented. Through the collage process, I finally came to an image that felt right, and I could question myself about my thoughts and the concept. I want the viewer to question the significance society places on an individual’s physical appearance and to focus on the internal complexity of an individual’s identity/personality.
Ipse
Found mannequin, acrylic paint, polymer
2022
I have named this mannequin Ipse, which means “myself” in Latin, because she is me and I am her. I found Ipse in a garbage can outside of Festival Square in Lethbridge, and I instantly felt connected to her. When Ipse was found she was left broken along the neck and unwanted, though the day was beautiful and my boyfriend and I were wandering the streets about to head home I knew she needed to be rediscovered and re-imagined. For me, Ipse symbolizes the empowerment of women, at the same time that she represents internal and external beauty.
For Ipse’s exterior, I have chosen to paint a representation of the goddess Venus, because not only does she represent sex, fertility, love and beauty, but she is also a structure of Rome's Imperial power. Women in the roman era were viewed as wives, mothers, they were ruled by the men in their lives. Venus is a way of taking power back, she is strong and structured, people took a knee before her and though she was gazed through many mens eyes, particularly French, Italian and English painters this just empowered the idea that she could not be touched by them. She was something to long for, desire. Simply not something or someone that could be controlled. Women are powerful beings, the strain placed upon their bodies, or the ideals society places upon how they should or shouldn't act, it's enough to bring down the strongest of people. Women are power and we all must remember that. Because to have power is to not be someone you can trifle with or take for granted, they must be understood and appreciated for all they do in this world. Because women are power. For Ipse’s interior I have created clay organs and painted them. These are placed as her insides to represent the dynamic way our bodies work and how often we don't appreciate all our body does for us. I know for myself I often take for granted the facts of what my body does for me, it's my home. Because of my body I have strength, I am able to climb the mountains I desire, I am able to go to the gym because of my good health. When we under-appreciate our body we start to lose sight of ourselves, we allow ourselves to feel bad, we allow for our health to fail, all it takes is to understand all we can do and refuse to let ourselves fail.
I was inspired to make this project because I myself know what it is like to feel out of power in a situation, whether it be the manager that is just a little too friendly or the vehicles that feel the need to honk and yell as you walk by. Just because Ipse is a beautiful thing does not make her small: she demands to be seen, and is a representation of taking power back for womens’ bodies that was taken from society too long ago. We as women must demand the rights back to our bodies, because no one deserves to have control over them other than ourselves. for materials used, I used Clay and tinfoil to form her organs, acrylic paint for the Exterior and interior,I used pencil to create the outlines on her interior for where I wanted everything placed, Paint brushes were used for both interior and exterior for the application of the acrylic paint and of course my beautiful mannequin herself was the canvas.
This project took about 35 + solid hours from start to finish and It definitely taught me patience as I am new to working with clay and it took a bit to figure it all out, and my paint would not sit or dry the way I wanted it to which was its own strain.
For indigenous artists that I feel helped inspire this artwork is Danya Danger. Although they used their own body rather than a plastic one I feel their work catches a similar Aura to mine. I feel this way because they use their body to demand space as well as a stance of reclaiming power, sexuality and bodily representation, which is what I'm trying to achieve with Ipse.
About Tasha
I am a 20 year old artist from Fort St. John, B.C. I spent 10 years of my life in Okotoks, Alberta and now live in Lethbridge, Alberta.
I prefer to work with acrylic paint, but often work with mixed mediums and found objects.
My favorite theme to work with is nature in all its senses. I feel connected to the movement and senses of it. I love the beauty, hidden and seen, and feel the need to let others see it as well, though through my eyes. My creative interpretations of nature are both realistic and abstract. But nonetheless I’m always drawn to the world and the beauty through the flowers. One of my favorite scenes to capture is Riondel, BC. My family and I have a little beach home there and I often find myself recreating the wildlife, scenery and plants.
I am currently in my first year of a BFA in Art studio at the University of Lethbridge. In my earlier school years I also pursued art. In middle school and below I studied it in just regular art courses, but in high school I took more of a direction in it and filled up much of my curriculum with it. My medium has always been around the same, with acrylic paints and nature.
My mom is a painter and has had a huge influence on my art, and she has always encouraged my brother and I to be creative and express our true selves.
As an artist I continually seek to set goals for myself, such as expanding the mediums I work in and developing the themes I explore. In the future, I would love to start working with oil paints, and learn how to draw and paint figures realistically.
Niitsitsi Kiin
2022
Deer Hide, Hide Thread, Cloth material (material from my mother’s dress)
In the beginning of the project, I was not sure challenging myself in making Niitsitsiigins (moccasins) was a good idea. But knowing that it takes skill and patience, I decided it was time for me to learn the art of making Niitsitsiigins (moccasins). As a child my maternal grandmother, Sahtsgahkii (Annie Wells,) made Niitsitsiigins for her grandchildren. She was from Kainai (Blood). When she was younger she prepared hides herself, using buffalo, deer, and cow. She also used sinew and beads to make the Niitsitsiigins. She continued to make them into her elderly age, but purchasing the hide. My grandmother Sahtsgahkii was my inspiration in all aspects of my life. I, unfortunately, did not listen and learn when she made the Niitsitsiigins, which is why I decided to make my first pair now. I am using deer hide, thread, and a needle, I will not be using a sewing machine, as it is too tedious and complicated.
Learning the process of sewing the leather was challenging from the beginning, but as I started I felt the spirit of my ancestors within in me. Niitsitsiigins are made to cover the part of the body that takes the abrupt weight of our bodies and gravity from Kookoomiiksim (Moon) that keep us grounded to Tsahgohmakii (Mother Earth). It is a very powerful connection and the Niitsitsiigins are the protectors for the feet.
I came across a fashion designer by the name of Sougi SinLa from Whitehorse, YT, Canada, who is the owner of Kaska Dena Design. I was inspired and influenced by her because of the beautiful, crafted artwork she puts into the clothing and shoes she designs. I plan on continuing to take my creativity to a different level making inspirational art in clothing design.
About Lilly
My name is Lilly Wells. I reside in three places. Lethbridge, Alberta is my current residence while I attend University. Calgary, Alberta is my second place of residence which I share with my children and grandchildren. Siksika Nation, Alberta my third home. This is a crucially important time in my life as I am attending the University of Lethbridge to further my advancement in the academic world of Art. I am currently in my first semester of the Bachelors of Fine Arts, majoring in Art History and Museum Studies. The Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park which is located on the Siksika Nation is where my history and future meet. I have a dream to be a part of this magnificent place that holds precious knowledge and insight into who I am.
The beginning of my journey started when I worked at the Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park. (You might say something about what you did there and why it was important to you.) This experience sparked my desire to give back to my people the knowledge and insight held in our Blackfoot territory, from the past into our future as “Nitsitapiiks,” the real people. I look forward to sharing what I learn in university, and to making a place where all artists can create from our past and present.
Process Portfolio: Stream of Consciousness
“The Colours That Combine to Make White Are Important”
(titled after the 2012 Barry Doupe Film)
Acrylic and gesso on canvas & charcoal on newsprint
2022
The series of works I’ve created assemble a process portfolio that represents working towards gaining a new relationship with the creative process. The main piece is titled after Barry Doupe’s film, The Colours That Combine to Make White Are Important, acknowledging the importance of and giving focus to the process.
This project began while spending time at home with my family in Saskatchewan. While working in the art studio above my dad’s workshop, I mentioned I want to tackle a large canvas landscape painting, similar to many of his works as a visual artist. So, he dug one out of his storage for me, and I found myself driving back to Lethbridge with a five by three-foot canvas in the trunk of my car, ready to be covered in colour, shape, texture, depth, light, and shadow, feeling inspired and enthusiastic about painting my first large canvas.
Before long, the inspiration and enthusiasm went away. The goal of creating a large-scale landscape painting made me nervous because of the expectations I have of myself and the expectations that I assume others have of me. With this in mind, I changed the direction and intention of the project. I decided to focus on unlearning what I understood and accepted as the only purpose of making art: to create something beautiful, visually appealing, and technically sound. My former perception of the creative process did not involve personal reflection or conveying emotion. The process began with hesitation, frustration, unease, and anxiousness. Staring at such a large blank canvas made it difficult to rid my thoughts of outcome and expectation.
Visual inspiration for this piece came from the work of Canadian Indigenous art pioneer, Alex Janvier. Janvier, of Cold Lake First Nation, Alberta, is known as the first Canadian Native modernist. He works in an abstractive style that is culturally and spiritually informed by his Dene heritage. Janvier draws inspiration from the abstract patterns of traditional hide-painting, beadwork, and quillwork. I was able to draw inspiration surrounding the creative process from Vancouver artist, Barry Doupe, and form a new perspective of the process. From this point, I incorporated meditative steps into the groundwork for this project and for my own mental preparation. This included music selection, room illumination, and stream of consciousness writing and illustrating exercises. Taking these steps allowed me to relax into the creative process and free myself of personal and external expectation. Through the development of this project and its components, I asked myself several questions: “what am I doing?”, “where am I going?”, “why am I here physically, mentally, and emotionally?”. These questions didn’t result in specific clear-cut answers, but they guided me to understand this project and the process in a new and more meaningful way. I now understand this project to be a metaphor for my newly begun journey remedying my mental health. Through Doupe’s words, “I am a solution to my problem”.
About Kaitlyn
I am from Emerald Park, a suburban community ten minutes East of Regina, Saskatchewan. I am currently living in Lethbridge, Alberta. I am in the second year of my Education degree, with a double major in Indigenous Studies and General Social Sciences, and a minor in Art Education. I envision myself not just a teacher, but a caregiver practicing an empathetic pedagogy. Empathy is a powerful tool that can benefit in understanding and connecting with others to work through difficult moments. I currently work primarily with graphite, ink, charcoal, conte, acrylic paint, and wood. In the past, my creative practice has focused on technical elements, details, and the overall visual quality of compositions. Recently, my practice has shifted to focus on process, consciousness, and personal reflection. Through this shift in my practice, I have incorporated the four main attributes of empathy – perspective taking, putting aside judgment, understanding, and communicating – into my relationship with the creative process. Working intuitively, while disallowing both personal and external expectations to influence my work, has allowed me to create pieces in a more gratifying, introspective, and meaningful way.
Be Prepared for Family
2022
Acrylic on wood and road signs
This project focuses on ideas of cultural navigation. At the start of my planning, I wanted to delve into my family’s ethnic backgrounds. I later realized how little those ethnic cultures came to play in the daily lives of my family besides my Kaska Tahltan roots. Instead, I decided to focus on a specific culture I know very well: my family culture. When I say family culture, I mean the interactions, social patterns, and issues that are consistently repeated within my immediate family dynamic.
To visually express this, I looked into a unique means of navigation: road signs. Road signs are used to relay information to drivers for instruction on location, amenities and safety precautions. However, since this navigation pertains specifically to my family, I juxtaposed it with visual conventions found in domestic decor. The sign schema I used in my project is specific to Alberta, which can differ from other regions in Canada and other parts of the world. I then took those colour coded signs and hung them in the domestic setting of the living room wall in my family home. The colour system used only pertains to signs that express navigation and excludes any signs that represent a family member. Each navigation sign is placed next to the family member that it references, like the “#girlboss” sign points to both my mother’s sign and my older sister’s sign because of their leadership roles in the family. Another would be the black sheep sign being in close proximity to my other two sister’s signs alluding to their self isolation towards the rest of the family. All navigation signs reflect currently significant attitudes within the family dynamic and the length of that significance is shown through scale.
An artist I have always taken inspiration from is Sonny Assu. The way in which he integrates his Coast Salish roots with pop culture is a form of cultural harmony that I seek within my own work. Like Assu, I join my Kaska Tahltan roots with the suburban living that my family subscribes to. I find it an interesting outcome of my project because of the implications that come with being ‘Indigneous’. Stereotypically, Indigneous peoples are not associated with pop culture or suburban living. In my work I seek to subvert this stereotype, in order to show that Indigenous experiences are diverse. For this project, the subvergence happens through the way it is displayed and the subjects brought up in my signs. For example, family board games are a big part of my family culture. Our socializations center around family dinners and game nights, so I included signs that reference a popular board game that is frequently played in our house.
Making this piece has been a special process for me as I was able to collaborate with my family to create the signs. Initially my plan was to interview them individually and do all of the production myself. However, during the course of this project, my Grandpa passed, and we were all able to come together as a family and use this project as a time of togetherness and healing. Because of the intimacy that was created from the making of this project, I thought it was fitting to make the focus of the project reflect our familial connection and named it Be Prepared for Family.
About Kyla
Kyla Organ is a Kaska Tahltan artist whose creative practice revolves around identity and cultural reclamation. In her work, she likes to explore how culture and identity is determined in the public and private eye. She views each new project as a way to gain a deeper understanding of herself and her role within her Kaska Tahltan nation. Kyla often works with acrylic paint, but believes that projects require unique and significant material expression.
As the daughter of an RCMP member, Kyla has experienced living in many different communities. However, because of the RCMP requirement to move every 5 years, she and her family have found it very difficult to connect to their cultural identity. In recent years, she and her family have made efforts to reclaim their culture. Kyla has chosen to do this through her art practice. Although her family has lived in many places, including the Northwest Territories, and communities in both northern and southern Alberta, Kyla and her family often see their home in the Yukon where Kyla was born. Her goal is to eventually make her way back up north to continue her artistic practice.
Novaclo
2022
Clay, wood, paper, spray paint
For my final project I chose to create clay sculptures with my niece as an example of how creative knowledge is transferred from one generation to another. An Indigenous artist that inspired me was Rose B., Simpson, she is an Indigenous artist from the Santa Clara Pueblo who creates clay sculptures. The materials I chose to work with were clay, wood, paper and spray paint. I enjoy working with clay because it is therapeutic, and it helps me express different emotions I am feeling. The process of teaching my niece was challenging because she has a hard time listening to instructions. But with making a clay figure beside her and encouraging her to follow my example she got the hang of it fast. Passing on the knowledge of working in clay to my nieces felt nice; it felt like I was doing something for her that could hopefully spark a light in her later in life. Through this process, I learnt that everything takes patience and time. My final piece is personal because it incorporates pictures of my nieces and shows a different side of the relationship I share with them, something that is mainly kept between us. They mean the world to me.
About Chloie
Oki, niisto niitaniko Chloie aka the blkftbaby, I am a 21-year-old student from the Piikani and Kainai Nation. I am enrolling into the Indigenous Art Studio program here at the University of Lethbridge. I have always had an interest in art growing up and plan to pursue is as a career. Someone who inspired me to pursue art was my grandma Angela Provost. When I was a little girl, she would always buy me craft supplies and would tell me to create something. This really sparked interested in me when I was young and is something that still brings me joy.
