For Indigenous History Month, we are so pleased to have Carmel, Patsea and Théo opening our last gathering of Season 2. We are excited to feature performances by Jordan Abel, Aurora Jade and Gabe Calderón.
Date: June 8, 2021
Time: 7-9pm EST
Zoom (Registration required)
To join you’ll need a computer, internet access and audio connection.
Closed captions will be available.
our opening ceremony
THÉO ‘RED SKY’ PARADIS
Théo is Indigenous, she grew up in Cornwall and currently lives on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabe Nation in Ottawa. Her family came from along the Ottawa and St.Lawrence River in the territory of the Algonquin and Kanien’kehá:ka (“People of the Flint”). She is Agokwe nini (2 Spirit) and Oshakbaywis (traditional helper) with elders and knowledge keepers in the community. She is of the bear clan and parent to two amazing children.
In Théo’s role as a traditional helper of ceremony, drumming and singing provides her with a deep rooted connection of traditional and indigenous way of life.
CARMEL WHITTLE
Carmel is a contemporary multi-disciplinary 2 spirit Irish/Mik’maq visual artist, musician/songwriter, educator and independent filmmaker hailing from Newfoundland – a province whose harsh beauty and strong people have moulded her into an artist with a deep understanding of people’s strength when attuned to the power of nature. Major themes in Carmel’s artwork include struggles for social justice and human rights, Indigenous Peoples’ strength and resilience, empowerment of women and challenges to traditional representations of urban and natural environments. She is a co-writer, producer and host of Podcast#83, which is a call-to-action podcast series based on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report. The podcast features discussions with Indigenous and non-indigenous representatives from the arts world, including poets, musicians, makers, gallery directors, and others. Film projects include co-director and co-writer for the documentary film 1 Contrary 5 Agokwe-nini, assistant editor for Eric Walker’s (Souriquois Metis film maker) film In L’acadie Ke’pek, and writer/director of the film On Our Land (2020), a residency project with Digital Art Resource Centre (DARC) formerly SAW Video.
She uses her community arts experience and work in leadership roles in Indigenous and multicultural communities to help build bridges of understanding. Her roles have included arts-health practitioner, educator, and community outreach and Indigenous liaison with Gallery 101 and New Edinburgh Community and Arts Centre (NECTAR). She is co-director and curator of the annual No Borders Art Festival. Her work as a cultural community artist and Indigenous liaison supports her striving and thriving in decolonized community arts. Currently her art is on exhibit at Lineage Art Gallery, Ottawa.
www.carmelwhittle.com
podcast#83 | RedCircle
www.nobordersartfestival.com
PATSEA GRIFFIN
Born and raised on her ancestral land along the Kichi Sibi (Ottawa River) on unceded Algonquin territory, Patsea is a special blend of many bloodlines including Ontario Métis. She is the founder of The Thunderbird Sisters Collective, co-director with No Borders Art Festival, co-organizer of the 2021 Women’s Art Festival, and serves on the board of The Multicultural Artists Coalition (MAC-CAM). She also finds time to escape to the countryside and loves being a roadkill adventurer (always on the lookout for porcupines). She is the facilitator of the weekly beading group ‘Beading with Patsea.” Artist. Beadworker. Poet. Drummer. Singer. Dreamer.
‘My art keeps me connected to nature, my mother, and all my relations in the spirit world.’
@patseagriffin
@thunderbirdsisters
@beadingwithpatsea
@shiningwaterdesigns
OUR GUEST PERFORMERS
AURORA JADE
Aurora has been performing since she was nine years old. She is Plains Cree and was raised in Mohawk territory of Tyendinaga. Aurora is a pianist, singer and songwriter and visual artist. Her solo piano works have won various performing arts awards and she now teaches early childhood piano. She is currently working on her second album called "Chaotic Neutral" where she is releasing her new original songs. Her music is available on her youtube channel Aurora Jade Music.
Instagram: @AuroraJadeMusic
Facebook Page: Aurora JadeE
JORDAN ABEL
Jordan is a Nisga’a writer from Vancouver. He is the author of The Place of Scraps (winner of the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize), Un/inhabited, and Injun (winner of the Griffin Poetry Prize). Jordan’s latest project NISHGA (forthcoming from McClelland & Stewart in 2021) is a deeply personal and autobiographical book that attempts to address the complications of contemporary Indigenous existence and the often invisible intergenerational impact of residential schools. His work has been published in numerous journals and magazines, such as Canadian Literature,The Capilano Review, and Poetry Is Dead. His visual poetry has been included in exhibitions at the Polygon Gallery, UNITT/PITT Gallery, and the Oslo Pilot Project Room in Oslo, Norway. Jordan recently completed a PhD at Simon Fraser University, and is currently working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of English and Film Studies at the University of Alberta where he teaches Indigenous Literatures and Creative Writing.
GABE CALDERÓN
Gabe (they/them) is nihz-manidowag/ihkwew (2 spirit/transgender) Anishnaabe, L'nu and mixed white (French and Scottish). They originate from Omamiwinini Anishinabeg aki and currently thrive in Treaty 6- Amiskwacîwâskahikan as the 2019-2020 Mr International Two-Spirit. Gabe is a published author and poet, receiving several awards from Prairie Fire & Historica Canada in conjunction with the Governor General’s Awards for Indigenous Arts and Stories and is the 2nd place champion of the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, their short story: Andwànikàdjigan is a finalist for the Alberta Literary Awards and the anthology that contains this short story: Love After the End is shortlisted for a Lamda 2021.
Website: www.mokinanconsulting.com
Instagram/TikTok: nishingabe
To join us, please:
1) Register at no cost. This event is for everyone!
Once you register, if you’d like to make a donation to support our work and Black, Indigenous and People of Colour artists, please do so through this donation portal.
or send as an e-transfer: inourtongues@gmail.com