All tagged indigenous

Hali Heavy Shield mentors RBC Emerging Visual Artists through Indigenous Storytelling and History

Hali Heavy Shield mentors RBC Emerging Visual Artists through Indigenous Storytelling and History

Alex Bonyun
Artist Perspectives, Visual and Media Arts, Learning Through the Arts

“Petroglyphs, rock carvings, pictographs, rock paintings…they represent visions of the spirit beings. Spirit beings make their home amongst the hoodoos, and rock art connects the physical and the spiritual world.”

Hali Heavy Shield paints a picture with her words, revealing a multifaceted perspective of Writing on Stone Provincial Park that goes deep into her roots as an Indigenous artist. Hali Heavy Shield or Nato’yi’kina’soyi in Blackfoot, which means Holy Light that Shines Bright, is a local multidisciplinary artist as well as PhD student at the University of Lethbridge researching Blackfoot art and storytelling. Her talk was part of a professional development session for Arts Commons Emerging Visual Artists earlier last month.

Why You Should Rethink Your Halloween Costume This Year

Why You Should Rethink Your Halloween Costume This Year

Chantal Chagnon
AC@Home, Artist Perspectives

Chantal Chagnon is a Cree Ojibwe Métis singer, drummer, artist, storyteller, actor, educator, workshop facilitator, social justice advocate, and activist with roots in Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, Saskatchewan.

She shares traditional Indigenous songs, stories, culture, history, arts, crafts and teachings and has worked with Arts Commons to share a love of traditional drumming, drum-making, and storytelling. She has also introduced young people to Indigenous culture through her work as an educator.

For this Halloween season, Chantal shares her insight on costumes and how you can thoughtfully select your Halloween costume from a place of cultural understanding and empathy.

Deer Woman Worldwide

Deer Woman Worldwide

Tara Beagan
AC@Home, Behind the Scenes, Downstage, Inspiring Stories

Deer Woman’s first public audience was the reading at Native Earth’s Weesageechak festival in November 2017. After four days of development we had a showing. We experimented with blocking and video design. The primarily Indigenous crowd was silent when we concluded, and Cherish recalls feeling worried. The first sound to explode from our people was not applause, but a loud sob from one woman, followed by resounding cheers.