Shared Media Library

Introduction

A collection of Indigenous art created by Indigenous artist for FirstVoices language teams to utilize for their language sites. We have also added some pictures that our Mentor Apprentice teams use to learn and teach their languages.

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When you are adding images to a word/phrase/song/story or anywhere else you are able to add an image a library will open and you will have an option to view shared images.

Artists

Here is a list of the artist who contributed to the image library and their artist bio, if they provided one, to learn a little more about them. Also, some have links to their social media or websites.

Adam Lewis

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I am a freelance artist from the we wai kai nation located on north/central Vancouver island. I live on our portion of our reserve located in Campbell river but I grew up on our cape mudge portion located on Quadra island. I’ve been an artist most of my life with graffiti and cartoon stuff as a hobby. Within the last year I’ve become a full time freelance artist with our traditional formline , fusing contemporary, traditional and sometimes even street art together. 

Al-Lisa Mckay

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I am a multimedia artist/Graphic Designer from Williams Lake BC.

I have a small business called Miss White Spider Arts, where I facilitate art classes of various mediums. From Digital arts to handmade arts ranging from paintings, fabric, to clay sculpture. My greatest passion is to learn and discover, collaborate and build for sustaining the Earth's sacred habitat and multiculturalism.

Nuác̓ i, Ayla Brown, Haíɫzaqv & Ahousaht 

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I am a proud Haíɫzaqv and NuuChaNulth person and the granddaughter of four Indian Residential School survivors. I have a passion for both language learning and language revitalization. I have completed extensive work with Haíɫzaqvḷa.

Bonny Graham

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I have invented/created an indigenous font exclusively to preserve indigenous language as well as traditional images. See samples at http://bwyse.ca

Cadence George-West

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Indigenous youth who creates digital and drawn art work.

Chantell Trainor-Matties

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Chantelle Trainor-Matties is an artist from British Columbia, Canada with Nisga’a and Métis heritage that specializes in illustration, graphic design, painting as well as mural work. She works for herself and does freelance and contract work for private and commercial clientele through her small business Frettchan Studios. Her work ranges from bold contemporary Northwest coast formline to charming cartoons to painterly realism. For the shared library her illustrations were done in a contemporary Northwest Coast formline style in relation to her Nisga'a ancestry. frettchanstudios.ca 

Claire Shannon-Akiwenzie

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Claire Shannon-Akiwenzie (Anishinaabe/Irish) is a digital artist, beader and educator based in unceded Musqueam, Tsleil Waututh and Squamish territory in Vancouver, BC. She is a proud member of the Chippewas of Nawash unceded First Nation in Neyaashiinigmiing, Ontario. Claire’s father taught her to create at a young age and subsequently helped connect her to family, language and story through beadwork, painting, sewing and drum making. Over the years, Claire has continued to learn from many teachers and has found art to be a catalyst for connection and healing. Claire works mostly in the mediums of digital art and beading. She has produced work for the Native Women's Association of Canada, ARUP, the Laidlaw Foundation and the Chiefs of Ontario.

Cori Johnson

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Cori Johnson is a Gitxsan artist who grew up with her traditional practices in plant use and medicine, and she has been a practicing artist for most of her life. She was mentored by traditional artists from the Gitsksan, and Lheidli T’enneh territory. She has dedicated herself to healing through art and culture.

Cori is self-taught and well-versed in many digital design software applications and can create high resolution images. Cori has created many logos and promotional materials.  

IG that I use as a portfolio: Instagram (@applecor88)

LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cori-johnson-88289a247/

Email: cori.elisha.johnson@gmail.com

Darcy Roshau @ Cedar and Pine Design

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hu qakǂik Darcy Luke, hun ʔini Ktunaxa hu qaki qaxi ʔakink̓umǂasnuqǂiʔit.

My name is Darcy Luke. I am an indigenous artist from the Ktunaxa First Nation, I am part of the Tobacco Plains community.

Instagram (@cedarandpinedesign)

Emily Graceanna Pearson

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Stellat’en First Nation

Instagram (@ditnik.kwun)

Jamin Zuroski

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Jamin Zuroski is an Indigenous Artist, Graphic Designer, and Educator, residing in Victoria, BC.  Jamin holds mixed ancestry from Ukrainian and Polish on his father’s side and Namgis First Nation on his mother’s side. For the past 26 years, Jamin has practiced and worked with a variety of artists, community members, organizations, businesses, schools, Friendship Centres and government on a variety of projects, initiatives, workshops, events and conferences.  Jamin’s specialty is working with a variety of mediums, such as Digital Graphics, Canvas Painting, Mural Painting, Sandblast Cedar and Glass, Carved Cedar, Vinyl Decals, Alupanel, Acrylic, Aluminium, and Clothing.

Please feel free to browse some of my other creations on my website if it interests you. http://www.jaminzuroski.com

Jordanna George

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Jordanna George hails from the T'Sou-ke Nation in Sooke, BC. They hold a BFA in visual art from the University of Victoria, and now live in Coquitlam, BC on the unceded lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, and Kwikwetlem nations. As a queer biracial illustrator and comics artist/writer, they love exploring themes of identity, belonging, and hope, especially pertaining to LGBT+ and Indigenous narratives, and combining these themes with their love of fantasy and sci-fi. They can be found online at jordannageorge.com and as Instagram (@raebirdart).

Joshua Conrad

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My name is Joshua Conrad, I am proudly a Stó:lō, two-spirited fun loving person with strong ties to Chawathil, Yale and Spuzzum First Nation, near Hope BC. My mother is Brenda Ewen, from Chawathil, my grandmother, Mary Ewen is from Chawathil and my grandfather Gilbert Ewen is originally from Popkum. My father is a settler born in Nova Scotia, with ties to Ireland, Portugal, and Germany. My mother, her sisters, and her brothers are all residential school survivors. After a long process of working through trauma and shame, collectively we are all working together on a wonderful, positive path of healing, growth, and celebration of our culture and strong heritage, through relearning our traditions, sharing knowledge of the land, and learning our language.

My personal journey in AR and through my professional and artistic practice in 3D motion arts has brought me many fortunate encounters with educators and artists from our communities across the country.

Ello: http://www.ello.co/slow_studies  
Web: www.slowstudies.com
Instagram:  Instagram (@slowstudies_creative)

Kaija Heitland

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I work in many mediums but am a professional commission-based artist doing graphic design, tattooing, logo and branding and poster art, specifically for the Indigenous community. 

http://www.indigenousnouveau.com

Instagram (@indigenousnouveau)

Kara Froese

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Kara Froese is a disabled, mixed Syilx creator currently residing in QayQayt territory (New Westminster, BC). She started her small business, Lotusberry Co. in 2018 which showcases her skills in digital art, beadwork, crochet and sewing, while dealing with PPD and Fibromyalgia. She completed the Indigenous ACE Program with the University of Victoria and Gustavson School of Business in 2021 and was commissioned by the NAC Indigenous Theatre to create educational colouring pages that included nsyilxcen words.

Instagram (@lotusberryco)

Karlene Harvey

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Karlene Harvey (she/they) is a Tsilhqot'in and Syilx illustrator, writer and ?inkwel of Izzy the river seeker. Their work can be found in numerous Canadian magazines such as Discorder, Chickadee, and Sad Mag. She has illustrated the following children’s books: Drum from the Heart, Every Child Matters, and Kaiah’s Garden (forthcoming). Karlene earned a master's in English literature with a focus on Indigenous storytelling. They love stories that explore elements of magic, multi-dimensions and adversity.  

karleneharvey.com

Kinepikw Designs- Cheyanne Connell

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My name is Cheyanne Connell and I am Dunne-Za Cree of West Moberly First Nations in northeastern BC. I am an artist and PhD student in Socio-Cultural and Indigenous Anthropology at UBC. Since I was a child, I have always loved painting and drawing, and over the last few years especially, have worked hard to develop my own unique style that meaningfully captures my experiences as a mixed-Indigenous woman in a global, digital world. Thus, my art acts as an expression of the various affects and facets of indigeneity, colonialism, and surrounding environments—an expression that is both visually engaging and thought-provoking. Core to this is the confronting of dominant discourses and representation that continuously situate (and privilege and limit) Indigenous authenticity as traditional identity performance (i.e., beading, hunting, pow wows, etc.). This effort builds off my own PhD research, which will explore the role of traditional language in contemporary Indigenous identity-making. Through my art and research, I aim to honestly and accessibly demonstrate my own and others Indigenous realities—that of a mixed urban native—and contribute to the expansion and diversifying of contemporary Indigenous representation across different platforms.

LessLIE

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lessLIE is the decolonized name of Leslie Robert Sam,  a Coast Salish artist from the Cowichan Tribes. He works in the variety of media, but he is best known for his serigraph prints. His artwork draws on traditional iconographic elements and often has contemporary titles or texting fused with humor and irony. While working on his undergraduate degree in 1995, lessLIE began to study Coast Salish art. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and First Nation studies from Malaspina University College, and has done graduate work in Interdisciplinary studies at The University of Victoria. He recently branched out with curatorial projects including writing and guest lectures. His work is exhibited both nationally and internationally. lessLIE’s work can be found in collections around the world and form a part of the permanent collections of The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and The National Gallery of Canada.

Letitia Loughridge- pƛ̓qín tkəłmilxʷ

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Syilx mother of 3, currently living in Sto:lo territory (Chilliwack, BC.) 

I have been a practicing artist my entire life, practicing endless styles and modalities of art, in a constant process of evolution, curiosity, and introspection. Although I have mostly practiced on a personal level, I do have some experience in a professional capacity as an artist, working as a professional photographer, doing creative portraiture, and winning an award for photography and writing about my experience being a light-skinned indigenous person, being a published writer, and writing a book of poetry, selling art on Etsy, and doing art commissions, off and on, over the years.

Our languages are medicine, and hold some of the most important foundational teachings within them to knowing who we are as a people. 

Our languages teach us who we are; our traditional values, the way our people see and experience the world, our beliefs, and our ways of life. Without our languages, a critical piece of who we are feels as though it is missing. 

In nsyilxcen, we do not say "hello", we say "way̓", which loosely translates to, "everything that has happened in the past is done, and everything is now a possibility." 

Our languages hold such deep and personal meaning; So unique to each tribes own beliefs and ways of life. Each language has its own spirit, its own life, and the value and importance of language revitalization cannot be described with words, only felt in one's spirit. 

Natasha Lepine

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Natasha Lepine is a young Metis artist who was raised in Northern BC, Canada. She grew up in the quiet mountain town of Wells, which played a huge role in nurturing her constant love for both the arts and nature. 

Whether her art makes people happy or even annoyed; Natasha hopes that she is able to evoke emotions in people through whatever she creates with her two hands (mostly her left hand, because she's left-handed). 

As a proud Metis, Natasha also seeks to express her Indigenous heritage in new and creative forms. From Louis Riel polymer clay earrings, to paintings that feature subtle sparks of inspiration drawn from Metis culture, she strongly believes that her art can be a way to express the bridge between two cultures, the root of which Metis peoples came to be.  
In her spare time, Natasha loves seeing the ocean, surrounding herself with people she loves, and eating delicious food. 
Natasha is also half-deaf and currently lives in Quesnel, BC. 

Instagram (@natasha.lepine.art)

Phuyu- Noelia Nicaela Leon Coico

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Phuyu is a Qhichwa illustrator from Qhuchapampa, Bolivia.

nophuyu.github.io/portafolio

Instagram (@phuyu.no)

Sarah Jones

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Hello, my name is Sarah Jones. I was born in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada. I am white and Indigenous. My nation is the Shoal Lake 40 Ojibwa Nation in Kenora, Ontario. I identify as Queer and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I currently reside in Kelowna, BC.

I have been enthralled by pen and paper since I could pick them up. drawing has been apart of my identity since I began forming it. As I got older, I discovered other mediums such as watercolour, acrylic, lino printing and sculpting. I took art every year in high school. I never imagined my art taking me anywhere, so I did not pursue it. I decided to go to post secondary school.

I graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. During my time in university, I took a fine arts class that helped me rediscover my love for art, something that had been dormant in me during my university years. And so, I begin my journey into the art world!

I began working at an Indigenous non profit in June 2022. Working in an Indigenous led organization has given me the opportunity to find out more about my culture. As I have begun my personal journey on connecting to my culture, I see art as a large part of that.

Currently in my life, I am working at the above mentioned job while I post art on my Instagram and work on my portfolio. Right now my mediums are pen and ink, watercolour, acrylic as well as digital art and graphic design. It is my goal to continue creating art, connecting to my culture, using my creativity, and figuring out how to combine all three. I am doing some graphic design work for my current job and have found I really enjoy it. I am also attracted to the world of tattooing and would like to explore that as well. I would like to do more Indigenous focused artwork by using educational resources and inspiration from Indigenous culture/ Indigenous artists.

Instagram (@honeycubpokes)

Stacia Goodman

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Stacia Goodman (Qwelkes Kidilth) is a Liqwiltox̌ artist (part of the Kwakwakaw’wakw peoples) and member of the We Wai Kai First Nation, originating from the traditional territory of Tsa-Kwa-Luten (Cape Mudge on Quadra Island, British Columbia). Across from that village, on the other side of the Discovery Passage, she was born and raised in Campbell River. Growing up amongst the Pacific Northwest Coast's raw beauty, it was easy for her imagination to be captured and drawn to art at a young age.  

She was gifted her two traditional names during ceremonial potlatch by her Grandmother June “U’magalis” Johnson. “Qwelkes” (named after her Great Grandmother), and “Kidilth” (meaning princess as the oldest daughter in the family). She was lucky to have grown up immersed in her culture, eagerly learning from knowledge keepers the teachings that had been passed down through the family for generations. These included learning traditional plant medicines, songs, family crests, histories, and stories. Indigenous artwork has always held powerful meaning in First Nations communities. It has always been an essential a way to record and pass on our stories, histories, and family ties.

As an Indigenous woman, she feels it is important to be proud of her heritage and strive to be a strong and visible presence in the art world. She has always been an advocate for practicing “lateral kindness”, the act of lifting up and celebrating other Indigenous artists and entrepreneurs.

Great thought and care go into everything she creates, including the name of her company. She named her art business “Spirit World Creations” after the manner in which you enter the dance floor during a ceremonial potlatch. “When you are about to begin a dance, you enter through a doorway in the Bighouse and the first thing you do is turn left in a circle towards your heart. When you do this, you are entering the spirit world and are now sharing a sacred space with your ancestors. It is with this same intent of respect, empowerment, and love that I wish to embody each piece of artwork I get to be a part of”.

Trinity Babichuk

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I am a digital artist who works on a variety of projects. In addition to digital art, I also enjoy analog art and various crafts.