Artwork based on the stories of a group of Northern Superior women highlighted at art launch

By Rick Garrick

THUNDER BAY—Artwork based on the stories of a group of Northern Superior women was highlighted during the Nov. 8 launch of the Ontario Native Women’s Association Building Our Bundles Art Installation at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery.

“Some of the stories were very familiar even though they weren’t my own,” says Candace Twance, an artist from Pic Mobert who created 10 of the art pieces in the project. “Being from women in the communities, they were very relatable, almost like stories my own granny told me. So it was almost like going back in my memories and then illustrating the stories.”

Twance enjoyed working on the project with Tamara Bernard, researcher and developer for Building Our Bundles, and meeting with the other artists during the Installation launch. The Building Our Bundles project was developed to create Indigenous-informed learning material for educators and students with a focus on Anishinaabe women from the Robinson Superior region.

“Working with Tamara was great — she had a great vision leading this project,” Twance says. “My part was mostly working from my studio creating the artwork. This is the first time I’ve met the other artists, so this event was really important to bring everybody together who participated.”

Giiniwikwe, an artist originally from Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek who transferred to Red Rock Indian Band, created seven of the art pieces in the project.

“I had never painted before — this was my first real go at anything and it is just continuing to grow,” Giiniwikwe says, noting that one of her art pieces depicts the backdrop of the docks in BZA. “That is actually Rocky Bay, the inlet where we used to swim and play as kids.”

Giiniwikwe, who lives in Barrie, created the paintings over the course of 12 hours at her mother Marilyn Netemegesic’s kitchen table during a visit this past summer. Netemegesic was one of the women who gathered together at the Red Rock Indian Band office to recall some of the stories from the past for the project.

“This [project] is so amazing — it is so good to have the stories,” Netemegesic says. “We all sat around and we all shared the stories of what we knew. The [other women] knew more because they were a little older.”

Tony McGuire, an Indigenous filmmaker and owner of Theymedia from Thunder Bay, created videos of the artists and Elders for the project.

“This project is in four languages, so I think that is probably the first of its kind,” McGuire says. “It was an honour working with these women. I’m glad to see women taking their rightful role in storytelling in the community and also attaining the various roles of leadership. It’s projects like this that will help us get there.”

Bernard says the project was a success, noting the turnout from the community and postsecondary and secondary schools at the Installation launch.

“I think that really speaks to the importance of this work,” Bernard says. “It just shows the growing interest within our country about reclaiming Indigenous education, to be honoured and recognized as something that needs to happen.”

Tammy Bobyk, director of community knowledge at ONWA, says the project was “like a dream come true.”

“It was really nice to see so many people here coming out to support, not only each other, but the actual project and the organization,” Bobyk says. “It was a real nice sense of community, and that is what it should be. That’s what it is all about.”

The project featured the women’s stories in a range of mediums, including books, paintings, videos and audios.