Exhibition featuring Indigenous youth and young adults, curated by Maura Tamez May- August 2021
In the Alex Fong Galleria
Artists Statement
Way̓! incá kn̓ Yilmíxʷm. isn̓sámaʔskʷist Florence Fred.
Hello, my sqilxʷ name is Yilmíxʷm, my sáma name is Florence Fred. My dad is Syilx, and my mom is Shushwap; I am a member of the Okanagan Nation. I work with mixed media and do various traditional crafts and art, spanning from cedar bark to buckskin and tipis. I love to learn new things and share my work with the people. Being an advanced seamstress and a crafter allows me to express myself in a variety of creative and unique ways, these shine in my ribbon skirts and hand-sewn buckskin jackets, moccasins, and vests. I am on a journey right now in reclaiming my language and picking up all the traditional knowledge along the way. My parents are a huge cultural inspiration for me, and for that, I thank them from the bottom of my spʔús. Limləmt
Ashleigh Giffen
Ashleigh Giffen is a 23-year-old Oji-Cree artist. She is a multi-disciplinary artist exploring dream state, realm travel, and fragmented histories through lenses of critical Indigeneity and discouraging genre. Her first play, Kamwatan Nipe (Quiet Water), held its first reading at the Arts Club theatre company, and she is currently in the process of a full-length commission at the Arts Club writing its duo project. She was the 2nd place winner of the 2019 Canadian Arts and Stories writing contest, as well as 2019 Writing in the Margins poetry winner in Briarpatch magazine. She also is the 2nd place winner in the 2020 Room magazine poetry contest. The stop motion film, Pesowan, created in collaboration with Maura Tamez, was featured in the Lake Country Art Gallery for two exhibits this last summer season and was also featured at the Kelowna Art Gallery.
Latsistaw^lye Logan John
Logan John is eight years old and an Onyote’aka and Sto:lo. He is a digital media artist who enjoys creating on Minecraft and Doodle Art Applications. He created this series of works titled Nether Stars independently from his imagination to be creative and have fun.
The structure is inspired by its core, the “Nether Star,” and is one of the most challenging materials to get in Minecraft. For these works, the main idea is the Nether which is basically a different dimension that seems like its sole purpose is to burn everything in its path. To get a Nether Star, you have to summon a slay a wither. Summoning a Wither requires four blocks of soul sand and three wither skulls. Once you have all the ingredients, you place the three wither skulls on top of the soul sand that is shaped like a “T.” A Wither will spawn and start spinning to fill its health. Slaying a Wither takes a large amount of time; you legit need full diamond gear. Other materials used in these works include netherack, obsidian, flint, steel, fires, glass, glowstone and blazes.
Janjanwanbedaka Louis
Hello, my name is Janjanwanbedaka Louis. I am Okanagan/Blackfoot and a member of the Okanagan Indian Band. During early COVID, I started making head roaches, and since then, I have improved my work and sent roaches to many places across Canada and the United States. What inspires me most is the endless combinations and possibilities, friends and connections I make, and hopefully being able to go to a pow-wow and seeing someone dance with what I made.
Coralee Miller
Way̓. My name is Coralee Miller. I am an Okanagan/ Syilx woman and a member of the Westbank First Nation. I am of mixed heritage but grew up surrounded by my Okanagan family and community within the IR#9 reserve. I love to paint, draw, and sculpt and have completed my BFA at UBCO.
I am most inspired by our oral stories and how they carry the moral lessons and values that are still incredibly relevant today. I use art as a way of having that conversation of culture and self-identity and where I fit in amongst it all.