Ontario Arts Council

This piece was created for the Ontario Arts Council as part of their Truth and Reconciliation work.

When thinking about how to approach this piece, I found myself thinking a lot about healing being something supported by communities through action, care, and responsibility.

What does it look like to hold space for that work, especially for those who carry it every day?

This work features a Thunderbird (Binesi) bringing light to floral growth. The work is meant to be representative of healing, growth and the strength of the spirits of the Indigenous Nations in our territories.

The piece features a Tobacco plant in the centre to represent the prayer and spirit work involved in healing. There is cedar within the orange floral arrangements to represent protection for those doing the work to create justice and equity for Indigenous communities. On the edge of the work is sweetgrass as a reminder to approach those who are affected by past and ongoing injustices with kindness. There are 94 stars in the sky to represent the 94 Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. There are fireflies in the piece to represent the idea of light within the darkness – Justice for our communities.

Lastly, there are moths in the centre of the piece to represent the idea of always moving toward the light and hope.