Indigenous Arts & Stories - Our Dance

This triptych was inspired by my community, my family, and my grandpa's mukluks. Having started to attend Jigging Nights every Friday within the last year, and seeing my friends and family dancing around me, I was inspired to create paintings based off of my experiences. As weeks would pass and different people would come and go, I began to generate basic ideas of what I wanted to make, based off of the array of moccasins and mukluks. However it wasn't until my brother attended one of those nights, wearing my grandpas mukluks, and doing the Sash Dance, that I realized exactly what I wanted my content to be. I took as many pictures as I could of my friends and family dancing, and over the next couple of months my paintings evolved and grew into the solitary piece it is today.

As stand alone as these pieces may seem, I believe that together these pieces form the best message of the beauty and diversity within the Metis community. As a triptych, they illustrate different types of Jigging, both the Sash Dance and Broom Dance, and demonstrates the assortment of moccasins and mukluks I have seen my friends and family Jig in.

The title "Our Dance" stems from the original intention of the piece, where I wanted to create something as a celebration of Metis Culture. When attended Jigging Nights, I would think about how much I wanted to share the experience with those who have not, or never will it encounter it, and how I felt that those people were missing out on such an experience of joviality, filled with laughter, family and comfort. Further, the intention behind the title, "Our Dance" is also a message of unity. When we Jig, we come together as a community, to celebrate our culture, despite differences.