June 2017 Glogewjiwinu
Glogewjiwinu
Artists:
Felicia Grant
Tristan Grant
Christopher Grant
Greg Mitchell
Chris Mitchell
Jennifer Alicia Murrin
Danielle Young
Ava Sewell
Raymond Sewell
Elder: Gilbert Sewell
Thank you to our Mi’kmaq artists for graciously sharing their work, and to our elder Gilbert Sewell for his gentle guidance and care.
A word about Glogewjiwinu, a collection of traditional and digital art by Mi’kmaq artists from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
“The title of our exhibition for the month of June is Glogewjiwinu. The word translates from Mi’kmaq to mean star people, people in the stars, or people of the stars. (Beautifully, I may also be translated to mean “people dealing with the stars”.)”
Much like nature, we may observe the changing landscapes of artists sharing their art via apps and social media today. I’ve always been fascinated with the power of social media and the freedom it gives to everyone who has access to it. It’s a place for voice, and a realm where people can create, learn and tell their own stories. Art is inevitable. The sharing of it, intuitive and engaging.
This past winter, many storm days were often lit with images of light from my own family, but also from an array of artists that found their way onto my screen. From Instagram to SoundCloud, the nature of this technology led me into a beautiful world of Mi’kmaq expression by more young artists I didn’t know existed. I observed something special happening here, a whole new generation of Mi’kmaq who were living, breathing, surviving examples of everything our ancestors wanted for us.
Curating is something I am new to, and I’ve come to view it as creation itself. I serve to present these 9 Mi’kmaq artist’s work, with the guidance of our Elder (10) in the light they were meant to shine in -on the forefront- in order to extrapolate and share their meanings into what’s next, living, current. By being who they are, sharing, and learning about their heritage, these talented artists are building a stronger generation. In their expressions, I see we are alive and ever-evolving as Mi’gmaq people, vibrant in our ancestral spheres.
My father always told me that when I create, I become the creator, and that this spirit follows through in my work. I see this in these young artists’ work as well. These images of light, mixed with those of resistance have created an atmosphere of pure strength and resilience to draw from. For me, they evoke a sense of celestial peace and wonder. They also share the reality of the grief we are trying to move through due to historical and personal trauma.
When I shared what I was seeing with my father, we talked about the glows, the themes of the pieces, and a common thing shone though. These were images that had to do with the sky and our relationship to it, as well as how we navigate the earth and our relationships with each other. From the smudge bowl carrying our prayers to our creator, to rainbows, starlight -sentience- legends painted in bold lines and colors, the forms and the shimmering …the first word he said was “Glogewjiwinu”. We were viewing expressions of people of the stars. And since we believe we come from the stars, the name suited this exhibit as a whole.
So on this first day of summer I celebrate our young Mi’kmaq artists. I hope you are inspired by this presentation of photography, paintings, drawings, spoken word, digital and traditional art as much as I am. This exhibit is my way of honoring them for their ingenuity, spirit, courage, knowledge and creativity.
You are exquisite.
Our ancestors are close.
June 21, 2017
Phyllis Grant
Tristan Grant and Christopher Grant
WOLF CASTLE, musicians Tristan Grant and Christopher Grant
Untitled, Christopher Grant
Untitled, Christopher Grant
Untitled, Christopher Grant
Untitled, Christopher Grant
Untitled, Christopher Grant
Felicia Mae Grant
Some Kind of Dream I Had a Few Months Ago, Felicia Mae Grant
Untitled, Felicia Mae Grant
I Don’t Need to Fight, to Prove I’m Right, I don’t Need to be Forgiven, Felicia Mae Grant
Evening Drama, Felicia Mae Grant
Chris Mitchell and Greg Mitchell
Glooscap, Chris Mitchell and Greg Mitchell
Untitled, Chris Mitchell and Greg Mitchell
Qama’si, Chris Mitchell and Greg Mitchell
Se’sus, Chris Mitchell and Greg Mitchell
Untitled, Chris Mitchell and Greg Mitchell
Untitled (ring), Chris Mitchell and Greg Mitchell
Untitled, Chris Mitchell and Greg Mitchell
Sage and Decolonize, Chris Mitchell and Greg Mitchell
Wapna’kikewao, Chris Mitchell and Greg Mitchell
Chris Mitchell & Greg Mitchell at work. See more from these amazing brother’s on their own website borninthenorth.com
Ava Sewell
Smudge Bowl, Ava Sewell
Jennifer Alicia Murrin
Untitled, Jennifer Alicia Murrin
Untitled, Jennifer Alicia Murrin
Untitled, Jennifer Alicia Murrin
Untitled, Jennifer Alicia Murrin
Jennifer Alicia is Mi’kmaq (Ktaqamkuk) and Settler (German, Irish, Scottish) artist. Her art is deeply rooted in her identity and tells stories of decolonization, love and rage. She is a member of Seeds & Stardust, an Indigenous women’s poetry collective based in Toronto and Six Nations and also a member of the Toronto Poetry Slam Team.
Jennifer is from the Qalipu First Nation.
Raymond Sewell
Untitled, Raymond Sewell
Untitled,Raymond Sewell
Click here for a poem
Untitled,Raymond Sewell
Untitled,Raymond Sewell
Untitled,Raymond Sewell
Maverick
Danielle Young
Untitled, Danielle Young
Untitled, Danielle Young
Untitled, Danielle Young
Untitled, Danielle Young
Untitled, Danielle Young
Untitled, Danielle Young
Untitled, Danielle Young
Untitled, Danielle Young
Phyllis Grant, curator of ‘Glogewjiwinu’
Phyllis Grant is a Mi’gmaq artist from Pabineau First Nation. She is a mother, artist, rapper, filmmaker, dreamer and lover of all creation. She has worked with several organizations and groups –from those in her own community and home province of NB to Coca-Cola Canada, the National Film Board of Canada and Honor the Earth. An interdisciplinary artist, her works include animated films, poetry and music, as well as paintings and illustrations. She holds a Bachelor of Integrated Studies with a Certificate in Leadership Studies from UNB. Her artwork has appeared in many organizations and publications, notably, Pearson Canada, Native Women’s Almanac, First Nation’s Children’s Futures Fund and UNB. Phyllis is passionate about community building and transformative learning in terms of leadership through art and technology. Her art focuses on sharing traditions and exploring identity within the process of creation, often retelling the stories she grew up with. She enjoys inspiring and facilitating creativity in others, and shares her path with unique expressions of family, friends, community, nature, stories, medicines, passion and love.
Gilbert Sewell’s Biography
Gilbert Sewell is a Mi’gmaq elder, oral historian, folklorist, storyteller, guide, woodcarver, and Mi’gmaq language instructor from the Pabineau First Nation. He is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the NB Human Rights Award, NB Eco Award, Orono, Maine Museum Award, and the Canadian Merit Award. These accomplishments can be attributed to Gilbert’s tireless dedication to sharing, expressing, and teaching others about Mi’gmaq heritage.
Gilbert has had audiences with Pope John Paul 11, Prince Charles, Lady Diana, and the Consul of France. He has been featured in numerous publications and media, such as, CBC TV/Radio, APTN, and The Discovery Channel. He has also provided the core content for a cd-rom encompassing Mi’gmag language, traditions, and medicines entitled “Exploring an Ancient Civilization: the Mi’gmag.”
Gilbert has worked with archeologist Pat Allen and Chris Turnbull on the excavation site of Youghall Beach in Bathurst, New Brunswick. He assisted in viewing and examining pre-European contact Native campsites and settlements. Mr. Sewell is also a known expert witness in many Native court cases involving Native Rights, most recently, a Supreme Court Canada landmark case of Darrell Gray in his right to harvest Birds Eye Maple. His knowledge of the ways of the Mi’gmag people of the past and present contributed to a winning case.
Mr. Sewell has enlightened many multi-cultural associations, universities, communities, daycares, schools, and tour groups from as far as Japan, France, and Germany. In March of 2004, Gilbert received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal from the Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of New Brunswick.
He is currently writing a book of medicines, to be released in 2018.
