Artwork
I work with textiles, beadwork, and clay. My artwork has been featured in the in Gizhiigin Arts Incubator “Naytahwaush: Faces, Stories, and Artists Exhibition,” the Annual Student Juried Exhibition at the University of Minnesota, Morris, and published in Understory Magazine, among other venues.
At a young age, my grandmother taught me the art of sewing and crocheting. I am very lucky to have shared so many hours creating with and learning from a master artisan. Creating through textile work has always been about connecting with her, my great aunties, and my community. Whenever I have an idea, I know that I can always lean on her for tips, tricks, and brainstorming.
With this quilt, I had the idea of doing something that brought attention to the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, showcasing the response “No More Stolen Sisters,” and a hand as a common symbol of the MMIWG2S (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit) movement. While MMIW and MMIWG2S are the common acronyms used in Anglophone-speaking U.S. and Canada, I also included FFADA, which is used in Francophone Canada.
The making of this quilt was supported by a research assistantship I conducted under Dr. Sarah Buchanan in support of her “American First Nations and French: History, Anthropology, Literature” project funded by the Mellon Foundation. The quilt is now housed at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
I am from the White Earth Nation, or as we call it in Anishinaabemowin, Gaawaabaabiganikaag, which roughly translates into English as “where there is an abundance of white clay.” In 2017 I enrolled in a Beginning Ceramics course and quickly fell in love with working with clay. This sparked excitement and curiosity for learning more about this material that holds so much significance to who I am. I was lucky to have professors that supported my interests and prompted me to apply to for a research grant through the University of Minnesota’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (many thanks to the guidance of Julia Dabbs). Through this grant, I had the support to spend time with elder Judy Toppings, who generously taught me her methods of harvesting, shaping, and wood firing White Earth clay. From this experience, I went on to present “Preserving Gaawaabaabiganikaag: A Project to Document the Ceramic Traditions of the White Earth Reservation” at my first national conference.
Image of the White Earth slip glaze on three stoneware vessels.
At the University of Minnesota–Morris, I was lucky to learn from ceramics specialist Kevin Flicker during his last year of teaching. He, too, generously fostered my interests, and taught me his methods of working with raw clay—from processing it to making it into a slip glaze, as seen here.
I learned beadwork at a very young age, but I did not pick up the needle again until adulthood. While I enjoy many techniques and stitches, I particularly love that the multimedia nature of beadwork allows me to marry my interests of textiles, clay, and appliqué.
You can see here a medallion with miyuki glass sead beads around a wood-fired White Earth clay center. The White Earth clay covering the turtle’s back references the muskrat’s gift as told in the Anishinaabe creation story.
I am not taking commissions at this time.
