Born and raised on the West Coast, Cree and Métis artist Michelle Sound is a member of Northern Alberta’s Wapsewsipi/Swan River First Nation. She has created a new exhibition that features two distinct works and utilizes several different forms and media. kanawêyimêw (She takes care of them) is described as the artist’s “homage to the strength, labour and sacrifice of her forebears and a tender tribute to maternal love.”
The two works that make up the core of the exhibition are titled Chapan Snares Rabbits and nimama hates fish but worked in the cannery. The former features 14 hand-dyed rabbit fur drums, serving as a tribute to Sound’s grandmother and the trapline she worked. Meanwhile, the later piece is a multi-media work that employs old family photographs intersecting with projected films of the artist and her current environment.
The exhibit started May 10th and runs through August 6th at the Art Gallery of St Albert. On Tuesday, June 21, 2022, CKUA’s Lisa Wilton brought us more on the exhibition in discussion with artist, Michelle Sound: