RECONCILIATION THROUGH ART
ARTISTS & VENDORS
Discover works from more than a dozen local and Indigenous artists, many of whom will be in attendance to share the stories of their creations.
ARTISTS
Event Details
Overview
Reconciliation Through Art is a fundraising event for Kooshkopayiw (Awakening) Métis Artist Collective and initiative to promote and support other Indigenous artists and artisans. The event features an Indigenous Art Exhibition, Storytelling and Performances.
Date
September 30th, 2024
Location
Mississippi Valley Textile Museum, Almonte, Ontario
Artists & Vendors
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Storytellers & Performers
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Sponsors
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Volunteers
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Media
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Artists & Vendors
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Jason Baerg
Jason Baerg is a Cree-Métis curator, educator, and visual artist. As a visual artist, he pushes new boundaries in digital interventions, drawing, painting and new media installations. Often through means of visual abstraction, Baerg's projects work with various themes such as language, the Anthropocene, and Indigenous connections to land and the environment. Dedicated to community development, Baerg founded Métis Artist Collective and has served as volunteer Chair for organizations such as the Aboriginal Curatorial Collective and the National Indigenous Media Arts Coalition
Patti Belanger
Patti specializes in fine art using acrylic on canvas, and often incorporates texture into her works. She draws inspiration from the breathtaking beauty of God's creations in nature and especially in Georgian Bay, her home, showcasing the elements of the land, water, wind and sky in her work.
Abstract and non-objective art is Patti's favourite to paint, while she explores a range of mediums to achieve her desired results. Her artistic repertoire includes figure abstract, landscapes, murals, non-objective art, abstract expressionism, and pointillism techniques. With a unique style honed over four decades, she breathes the life of her artistic journey on the canvas, embodying the spirit of her faith, ancestors, culture and imagination.
Christi Belcourt Prints
Christi Belcourt (apihtâwikosisâniskwêw / mânitow sâkahikanihk) is a visual artist, designer, community organizer, environmentalist, social justice advocate, and avid land-based arts and language learner.
Christi has a deep respect for the traditions and knowledge of her people. Like generations of Indigenous artists before her, she celebrates the beauty of the natural world while exploring nature’s symbolic properties. Following the tradition of Métis floral beadwork, Belcourt paints in dots and uses the subject matter as metaphors for human existence to relay a variety of meanings which include concerns for the environment, biodiversity, spirituality and awareness of Métis culture.
Jen Brant
Jen is a Mohawk woman, living in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. Jen creates leather hand crafted authentic handmade deerskin moccasins.
The slight scales and markings originate from the animals' natural habitat.
She started her journey in 2019 during the pandemic. Now her moccasins are in many stores around Canada
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Theresa Brant
Theresa Brant is a self-taught Mohawk Artist from the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in Ontario Canada. Her works are a celebration of her journey of self-discovery, perseverance, and cultural expression.
"The Offering" is a reminder to give thanks to the waters that nourish our people, and a promise to honour and protect the sacred gift bestowed upon us.
Her artistic journey began in the midst of the 2020 Pandemic, when time seemed to pause and the world changed profoundly. Guided by the influence of her son, she found solace in the vibrant embrace of acrylic paints and discovered the power to express the depth of her soul onto canvas. Nature speaks to her heart and she finds great joy and inspiration with every sunset and sunrise. Her Art is an offering of gratitude and beauty that exists in both the seen and unseen.
Fern Burntwood
Fern is a folk artist who has lived in Alberta and Ontario. From a young age, folk art has captured his imagination and influenced his aesthetic. Nature, ancestors and the afterlife are common themes he often revisits. Preferred mediums include painting and pen and ink drawing.
Fern is a proud citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario. “I go by Fern to honour my Metis Papere. My Metis ancestors (Laronde/Delaronde) were a large family who lived all over the homeland. Some worked along the fur trade routes of Ontario while others ended up in Rupert's Land Red River settlements, St Boniface and Penetanguishene and other places. After the fur trade, many settled in northern Ontario and Quebec.”
Kristy Cameron
Kristy Cameron, a teacher and visual artist, was born and raised in Atikokan, Ontario, the Canoe Capital of Canada. As a Métis artist and descendant of numerous fur trade employees, she often incorporates Indigenous and historical content into her art. With this history and culture, we often see spiritual weavings throughout her pieces which evoke sensations such as mystery, energy, contentment, and joyfulness. Kristy's art can be found in private and public collections, such as the Archives of Ontario, the Kenora Justice Centre, the Canadian Museum of History, and various school boards and social agencies. She has collaborated with various authors to illustrate books and stories such as The Seven Sacred Teachings and Meet Your Family; these books have been highly used by educators nationwide.
Samantha Case
Samantha is a Métis Artist from Historic Sault Ste. Marie working primarily with seed beads in her flat stitch beadwork. The focal point for her work is traditional Métis florals which she uses to meld her cultural roots with modern function and aesthetics. Samantha has been working with beads for over 20 years and now facilitates workshops for new bead-workers to learn the art.
Joe Jesseau
Joe Jesseau is a self-taught Indigenous Beadwork Artist whose Indigenous artistic ability began in 1974 while in a Residential Home for disturbed boys in Kinmount, Ontario. There he created Barn Board Art, using Indian inks and paints to create artworks that reflected his ancestral Ojibwe roots. He worked with five other artistic boys who created their own artwork according to their traditional Indigenous cultures. Their completed works were taken to the Lindsay Crafts Association (Kawartha Art Gallery) in early 1976 where they were sold.
In 2019 he returned to his Anishinaabe harvesting roots and after teaching himself beadwork, he began beading on deer and moose hides using various sizes of beads, threads, and needles. He also built his own hide stretching apparatus and looms.
Kooshkopayiw (Awakening)
Kooshkopayiw (Awakening) is a newly formed Metis Artist Collective supported by the Métis Nation of Ontario Cultural Commission. The Collective promotes established and emerging Métis artists through exhibitions and “Métis Art Crawls” held throughout Ontario. Seven of its members will be featured in Reconciliation Through Art:
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Kristy Cameron | Paintings
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George Simard | Sculpture
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Roxanne Shank | Quilts
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Patti Belanger | Paintings
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Joe Jesseau | Beadwork
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Marie-Louise Perron | Paintings
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Christi Belcourt | Paintings
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Jason Baerg | Visual Artist
Kooshkopayiw (Awakening) is a newly formed Metis Artist Collective supported by the Métis Nation of Ontario Cultural Commission. The Collective promotes established and emerging Métis artists through exhibitions and “Métis Art Crawls” held throughout Ontario. Seven of its members will be featured in Reconciliation Through Art:
- Kristy Cameron | Paintings
- George Simard | Sculpture
- Roxanne Shank | Quilts
- Patti Belanger | Paintings
- Joe Jesseau | Beadwork
- Marie-Louise Perron | Paintings
- Christi Belcourt | Paintings
- Jason Baerg | Visual Artist
Laura Leonard Originals
Laura Leonard is of Maliseet descent and is widely known both as a powerful hand drum singer, as well as a prolific fashion designer. As a singer/drummer, her knowledge of traditional songs is extremely varied. She is often invited into schools to share her gift of song with the students as well as conducting workshops on beading and leather work. Laura’s fashion is in high demand due to her innovative designs that are both of exceptional quality and authenticity. She utilizes ancient traditional motifs and materials infusing the latter with a contemporary style.
Lynn Melbourne (Ally)
Lynn’s paintings are portraits of Indigenous children who attended Canadian residential schools. They were painted to pay tribute to them, help with healing and increase awareness of the issues surrounding residential schools and damage done to First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples.
Lynn was compelled to paint them immediately following the revelations of the atrocities of the IRS at Kamloops in 2021. Her work captures the spirit of the children who are survivors of Indian Residential Schools and the stories of their life’s challenges ... and achievements. The portraits compel the viewer to want to know more and to offer their support. Some survivors have been invited to attend the event to speak to their story.
Monica Loney
Monica is a Métis artist from Barrie who focuses on the use of the continuous line in her works to represent the universal connection we all share. Commissioned based, she creates one of a kind ink on paper art; thus guaranteeing a unique piece of intuitive works. Monica is also no stranger to public art and working a scissor lift. You can find her advocating for public art with guided tours as well as through her own large scale pieces and installations located within Simcoe County.
Monica is the recipient of the 2022 Emerging Artist Award for the City of Barrie and has continued forward showcasing the powerful benefits of art within the community. She currently has her work 'Wild Calling' on display at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in their Gathering Place Exhibit and has recently become a part of the Kooshkopayiw Artist Collective.
Isaac Murdoch
Isaac is well respected as a storyteller and traditional knowledge holder. For many years he has led various workshops and cultural camps that focus on the transfer of knowledge to youth. His work includes traditional Ojibway paint imagery/symbolism, harvesting, medicine walks and ceremonial knowledge, cultural camps, Anishinaabeg oral history, birch bark canoe making, birch bark scrolls, and youth and elders workshops. He has committed his life to the preservation of Anishinaabe cultural practices and has spent years learning directly from Elders. Issac will present stories and will have his prints and teaching tools available for sale.
Nish Nabie "Seven Gifts" Carvings
Reconciliation Through Art will feature Indigenous artist, Nish Nabie’s seven original wood carvings; inspired by the Seven Grandfather Teachings, the “Seven Gifts” carvings were cast into bronze to create an accessible and educational public art installation in Riverfront Park (320 Spring Street, Almonte, Ontario) on the Mississippi River. It celebrates the cultural and spiritual beliefs and practices of the Algonquin Anishinaabe. The process of creating the installation reflects the nature of the Truth and Reconciliation process: it was a cooperative project between an Indigenous artist and a non-Indigenous artist supported by Mississippi Mills All My Relations.
Artist Nish Nabie is Algonquin from the Kebaowek Territory and is currently based in Renfrew, Ontario.
Marie-Louise Perron
Marie-Louise was born on her grandfather’s land in Saskatchewan, and is a descendant of Red River Métis and early French newcomers.
She has participated in solo and group exhibitions in several regions of Canada and her work can be found in private and institutional collections across the country.
She has a B.Ed. and an Honours Fine Arts degree (SK), and a Maître des Arts (QC). She lives in Ottawa, Ontario.
Many of her works in watercolour, acrylic on canvas, and mixed media on canvas are expressions of her ties to the land, in touch with its stories, moods, powers, mysteries, and revelations.
Her works in photography and mixed media, including recycled and found materials, are often of a humorous, wry, and pointed bent.
Giniw Paradis
Graham Paradis (he/him) is Michif/Wiisaakodewin from Penetanguishene with ancestral ties to Lesser Lakes Lake, AB. He is a citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario. He has been beading since 2012 as a self-taught artist and started mentoring under Naomi Smith (Chippewas of Nawash, Neyaashiinigmiing Unceded Territory) in 2014. His beadwork and quillwork have been featured at the Royal Alberta Museum, the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Art Mur, the PAMA Museum, Guelph Civic Museum, the Niagara Falls History Museum, and the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum. Graham is Red/Green colour blind which at times gives his beadwork an interesting and unique colour palette.
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Roxanne Shank
Roxanne is a Métis Quilt Artist who works with various quilt techniques including piecing, appliqué, cyanotype, lace and embroidery.
A founding member of the Kooshkopayiw Métis Arts Council, Roxanne has exhibited work at such institutions as the MNO 30th Annual General Assembly (2023, Westin Hotel, Ottawa), and has exhibited and taught at the Simcoe County Museum Quilt, Rug and Artisan Fair (2021, 2022, 2023). She has also regularly exhibited at the Alliston Quilting Corners Guild and led a solo trunk show and exhibition of her work. Recent 2024 highlights include exhibiting at the Midland Cultural Centre and the Muskoka Discovery Centre (Gravenhurst).
Amanda Pierce
Amanda Pierce is a Cree-Métis painter, sculptor, and citizen of Métis Nation Ontario. As a full-time contemporary abstract encaustic artist and workshop facilitator, Amanda’s work is dedicated to meaningful storytelling through abstract art.
Her recent project, "Un-Earthed," poignantly honours and remembers Indigenous children from residential schools who were discovered in mass graves across Canada. Each piece in "Un-Earthed" utilizes reclaimed and recycled materials to symbolize a child who never made it home—whether a bundle, twig, bead, or rusted piece—each element represents a profound loss. Amanda’s use of these materials critiques our disposable society, offering a reflective contrast to the sustainable practices of her ancestors.
George Simard
As a Canadian Chippewa-Metis, I find joy in sculpting and am inspired to sculpt my people – either historically significant figures or people who have shown ways to explore my cultural roots. Over the past 10 years, being a student of sculpture at the Toronto School of Art and the Acton School of Sculpture has awakened my passion for the development and promotion of Métis culture through art at grass-root and professional levels. In order to share my sculptures and the works of other Métis artists, I have co-founded and am the current President of, the Kooshkopayiw Métis Art Council. This has led me to teach sculpture at the Métis Nation Of Ontario's community and youth conferences and to curate Métis art exhibits. In an advisory position, I am involved in promoting and registering Métis artists on the Indigenous artists’ Wikki data platform and the Kooshkopayiw Facebook page.
VENDORS
Frybread Queen
Enjoy delicious food from Frybread Queen during Reconciliation Through Art! Frybread Queen is owned and operated by Carol Anne Maracle. Carol is Mohawk from the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.
Frybread Queen
Nish is a self-taught wood and bone antler carver. His home community is Kebaowek First Nation at Kipewa, Quebec.
His work naturally gravitated to eagles, bears, wolves and beaver – animals he had seen as a young boy living an Indigenous life with his grandparents in Northern Quebec.
Nish is carving a Thunderbird specifically for Reconciliation Through Art and will complete his carving during the event. He will tell the story of Nanibush and how the Thunderbird came to be.
Mitch Case
Mitch Case is a proud Métis citizen from the Historic Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community. He is a community based historian, focusing on the history of Ontario Métis communities, especially those around the Great Lakes.
Mitch is a passionate defender of the Métis right to self-determination, jurisdiction over lands and resources and the cause of Métis Nationalism. Mitch volunteers in schools, colleges and universities across Ontario where he is invited to speak about Métis culture, history, traditions, rights and contemporary issues.
Mitch will present the Métis perspective of the Métis involvement in the War of 1812, the Mica Bay Incident and the Robinson Huron Treaty of 1850.
Zac Thiffault
Zac Thiffault is Métis from the Georgian Bay Métis Community.
Zac will be making a presentation on the history and the ancestry of the Métis families of the Great Lakes Métis Communities.
He received his JD and his B.Soc.Sc (hons) from the University of Ottawa. Zac is Legal Counsel to the Métis Nation of Ontario, advising on a wide range of topics including self-government, Métis rights, and internal governance. He is also Secretary of the Indigenous Bar Association.
Kevinn Schofield
Kevinn Schofield, a.k.a. The Tennessee Cree, is an Indigenous singer-songwriter who blends powerful songwriting with traditional chants. His unique, evocative style is captured on his two-part solo album: Meeting Myself on Raven Street.
Kevinn sings old school pow wow songs with classical violin and some Tennessee Cree twang. He will share Moose Cree songs of his youth. No one has ever sung a Cree hymn in Cree language in a rock concert setting... Kevinn has!
Amanda Rheaume
A Citizen of the Métis Nation, and an active and proud member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Rheaume's music is indeed from the heart, and the land.
From the International Indigenous Music Summit, to the newly-founded Ishkode Records, and the National Indigenous Music Office, the goal of raising Indigenous sovereignty in the music industry drives all of Rheaume's work.
First a songwriter, Rheaume comes from a long line of tireless, transformational organizers and activists, and carries this lineage forward in her ever-growing role as a crucial builder of Indigenous music infrastructure and community.
David Finkle
David Finkle has been called a 'Renaissance man'. Hailing from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, he is an award-winning, multi-instrumental recording artist versed in many musical genres. He is a traditional knowledge keeper, storyteller, drum maker, performer, producer, and sound engineer, and has completed scores for many various theatrical productions, documentaries and full-length features for 30 years.
David's music ranges from traditional melodies to live improvisation, being instinctual as well as involving a deep understanding of music theory without allowing it to stifle his heartfelt compositions. Exhibiting a strong focus on drums, melody duties often go to Native American Flute, an instrument unlike any other in the world. David has performed in North/Central America, the high Arctic, and Africa.
Alyssa Delbaere-Sawchuk
Alyssa Delbaere-Sawchuk has completed a doctorate in classical and fiddle music traditions on the viola at the Université de Montréal. An award winning composer and performer, Alyssa strives to spread awareness of Métis culture within her communities.
Alyssa conducts workshops in schools on Métis fiddle music, oral learning tradition, improvisation, and cultural history. Over the course of her workshops, students learn about slides, drones, clogging, spoons, and grooves, and increase their cultural literacy of Indigenous music. At the event, she will conduct workshops in addition to performing with her good friend, Amanda Rheaume.
David Charette
David White Deer Charette’s home community is Wikwemikong, ON. He is an Ojibway Two-Spirit artist who started beading when he was 12. His sister taught him how to bead and his aunt taught him how to sew. His inspiration comes from growing up on the powwow trail.
David has been singing traditional and contemporary Indigenous music with the hand drum since he was 12 years old. His diverse songs can wow the crowd. He says, “I am Loon Clan and these sort of people can get the audience’s attention with the power in their voice by singing loud and soft when needed.”
Doris Lanigan
Doris is a Senator and Elder of the Métis Nation of Ontario. She will provide an opening prayer at the event. She will talk about the experience and the impact of the Sixties Scoop on her family who originate from Big River, Saskatchewan.
Doris will also model fashion designs by her son, Jason Baerg. Her photo was included in Vogue’s August 16, 2023 feature article: “21 Artists to Know at This Year’s Santa Fe Indian Market”
Kristy Cameron, a teacher and visual artist, was born and raised in Atikokan, Ontario, the Canoe Capital of Canada. As a Métis artist and descendant of numerous fur trade employees, she often incorporates Indigenous and historical content into her art. With this history and culture, we often see spiritual weavings throughout her pieces which evoke sensations such as mystery, energy, contentment, and joyfulness. Kristy's art can be found in private and public collections, such as the Archives of Ontario, the Kenora Justice Centre, the Canadian Museum of History, and various school boards and social agencies. She has collaborated with various authors to illustrate books and stories such as The Seven Sacred Teachings and Meet Your Family; these books have been highly used by educators nationwide.
Kristy Cameron
Pamela Cailloux
Pamela Cailloux was born in Chibougamau, Québec, and is now living in the Ottawa area. She went to the high school in Commerce, and studied at the Ottawa School of Art. "All my life, I was classically trained and the style I have now has evolved slowly since 1995."
She is of Métis decent of Algonquin and Huron Nations. Her artwork features faceless women which is a representation of the spirit and energy of Mother Earth. Many of the concepts portrayed in her works are teachings from the Medicine Wheel, which symbolize the balance and healing to restore natural order. Many original artworks can be found at ARTprior Gallery in Arnprior, Ontario.
Riley Jean Demery
My name is Riley Demery (bizaanijoishkode) which means Quiet Fire in Ojibwe. I am a Professional Metis Beading Artist taught by Makwa Mnidoominenag (Joe Jesseau) whose beadwork style is called Tears of the Forsaken. I began beading in 2024, drawing upon my Ojibwe Ancestry. My beadwork is the reflection of Creation in relation to the Natural World. To me, beading is more than just an art-form. It is a way of preserving stories of the past and carrying my ancestors alongside me, a way of telling not only their story but the story of all those who have touched my heart in some way or another.
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