Collective

WHITE CROW

Janine Windolph

Janine Windolph is an interdisciplinary artist and entrepreneur with a Master of Fine Arts background in Media Production and Indian Fine Arts. Drawing from her combined heritage, Janine, an Atikemak-Woodland Cree/German artist, she loves to focus her time on multi media storytelling along with traditional and contemporary fine arts. As a mother of two children, Janine finds her inspiration in her family, her cultural background, her community and her environment. More Question Than Ancestors is a series of short videos based on memory that take on an experimental form of documentary and oral history. Currently, she is working as a guest artist filmmaker with the Nisto Awasisak Memorial School in Cumberland House Cree Nation, Saskatchewan.

Janine supports her community as the President of mispon: A Celebration of Indigenous Filmmaking and as a board member of the Saskatchewan Filmpool. Currently, Janine has been working with the community through workshops at the Regina Public Library and attending trade shows. In general, Janine loves to learn from others and teach while focusing on entrepreneurship as a way to strengthen the artist.

Annie Charles

Annie Charles is an aspiring storyteller and wants to support artists in the filmmaking industry by volunteering as a Secretary for mispon and assisting on production for experience. Her first and foremost passion is contemporary and traditional beading and crafts. Annie is an aspiring jeweler and a partner in an entrepreneurial business known as Soulful of Mother Nature.  She is now Business Administration with emphasis on entrepreneurship, accounting and marketing. Highlights, Annie has done Production Assistant/Craft Services for This Time Last Winter as craft services, Directors Assistant on Medicine Women (Four Square: Accountants Assistant) and directing her own film Daddy’s Girl. Annie has also assisted on More Question Than Ancestors thesis project.

Jessica Generoux

I am a aspiring puppeteer and emerging writer Cree First Nations from Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation. I am a mother to Luna Bella, my 2 year old daughter, and I choose to develop and perform Aboriginal based puppet shows to support and retain my unique roots of Aboriginal traditions, ideologies, stories and languages. I would like to ensure our future generations are exposed and given an opportunity to explore their unique identity through playful learning.

I am seeking to actively support and animate Aboriginal culture and language through puppet shows. I have generated many years of work experience related to the development  and delivery of cultural programming for children, youth and adults with various organizations throughout my professional career with community development. I have spent many years facilitating story time for toddlers and pre-schoolers in the North Central community with Regina Public Library. During that time, I have developed many resources of promoting early childhood literacy through aboriginal based puppetry and storytelling with the support and training by local storytellers Kevin McKenzie and Kathy Reid Naiman as well as the programming staff at Regina Public Library.

Dawlton Tomkins

Dawlton Tomkins is a Cree interdisciplinary artist, namely he self declares himself as a freelance independent musician who can play guitar and bass. Dawlton has knowledge in areas of sound production and editing. Further, Dawlton is able to do post production and distributes his songs on my

www.myspace.com/dawltontomkins Personally he is inspired by Germanic punk rock but has an ability to create various moods, atmospheres and rhythms with sound. In general, Dawlton aspires to grow as a sound artist in music, sound recording and editing soundtracks for video and radio.

Marian Otter BA, BEd

 Marian Otter is from the Waswanipi Cree First Nation and a member of the James Bay Cree Hunting Society.  However, she also grew up in Northern Saskatchewan.   Otter had a passion to become recognized as a First Nations female artist. This inspired her to attend school at Saskatchewan Indian Federated College (currently First Nation’s University of Canada).  The program gave her opportunity to achieve degrees Indian Art, Indian Art History and Indian Communication Arts.

Otter is a graduate student of University of Regina Arts Education wherein she specialized in Indian Arts History. This taught her the impact of Western arts.  She shares the value of arts expression and is aware that art is a valuable learning tool in education. Otter grew as a humanitarian supporting events to raise cultural and community awareness including participating in community development and arts development.

Her tradition is to practice respecting the rights of Mother Earth. She was inspired to share her moral connection in oral storytelling.  From her beadwork paintings each piece recounts stories about Otter’s life.  Filling her work with traditional and contemporary elements, she constructs narratives of rupture as she adeptly works in traditional and contemporary mediums.  In this way, Otter connects elements of her past, her present and her future in her pieces.

A passion for all forms of arts, Otter promotes artists, arts, and events.  Today, with the support of local film groups, Otter is experimenting to communicate how researching for her true identity opened windows of self awareness.  Moreover, Otter express her story in several art forms.   Adapting to the digital media Otter will leave a record of video documents of her personal legacy.

Stan Otter BA

Stan Otter is a  First Nation Artist living in Regina. Stan started his art career in La Ronge during the early sixties. During that time he taught cartooning with Nikanak Friendship Centre for teens. In High school he excelled in the arts. He has been taught by famous Northern Saskatchewan artists in his time, Artists like Jim Brady Bob Dalby, Miles  Sanderson, Lloyd Pinay Bob Boyer, Miles Hallkett and Chris Lee. In that period Stan worked in painting, soupstone  carving, photography and woodcarving.

In the late eighties, Stan moved to Regina to further his education in the computer sciences, paranormal arts, he attended S.I.F.C Indian Arts which he received a B.A. Indian Arts and Indian Communication Arts certificate in 2006. After graduating he worked with Sakekwak Artist Run Collective to developed a First Nation Art Gallery. During that Time Stan has had his art shown the western provinces and worked on Neutral Ground Artist Collective “Mexterminator” Show which got great reviews nationally. He co-produced the show The Otter Show, which he interviewed First Nations artist in Saskatchewan, with the help of Cable Regina. Special guest the late Bob Boyer.

In the beginning of the twenty first century, Stan return to university for his Indigenous studies degree  in  computer research. Was on B.O.D . U of R SIFC student rep. He also to printmaking courses with Jack Cowin. His artworks were displayed at the university’s 5th parallel gallery. During the Queen’s visit in Regina in 2006. His art work titled Big Bear was mentioned by the Queen in the Grand opening of the First Nation university of Canada student art show.  Stan has been on a video, MTV’S   show with Regina’s rock band the SS Minnows. CBC National News on the Royal Commission Report on Aboriginal people of Canada. His art work was been on the Royal Bank university program with FNU of Canada.

Today Stan continues to work with the arts in Regina. Currently he is working on two painting titled “ Wonder Woman” and “Greek Goddess” . On his time off Stan practicing on his music careers.  He is a member of mispon and is on the board.

Josephine Pelly BA B.Ed.

Josephine Pelly is a First Nations multidisciplinary artist and Educator from La Ronge, Saskatchewan. She is Woodlands Cree and a member of the Lac La Ronge First Nation. She grew up along the scenic shores of her father’s trapline in a remote area Northeast of Lac La Ronge. A place often represented in her writings and artwork. She spent her first seven years on the trapline away from town life, until placed in a Boarding School in Timber Bay, Saskatchewan in 1981.

Josephine’s experiences in boarding school are often represented in her artwork and her writing. Her artwork conveys her experiences and feelings surrounding the time spent at boarding school. Her work serves as a tool for raising awareness to the realities of isolation, and separation from ones family and culture. It is her experiences that have helped shaped her artistic endeavours.

Josephine attended First Nation’s University of Canada and received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Indian Art and Indian Art History in 1998. Upon completing her degree she worked for First Nation’s University as a sessional lecturer. Her work as a sessional lecturer reaffirmed her love and knack for teaching others. She then went on to complete a Bachelor of Education Degree in Arts Education from the University of Regina in 2005. Since then she has been teaching High School Arts and English classes in First Nation’s Schools. Her love and appreciation for art is evident in the work she has done within school and community.

Currently Josephine is working at Nisto Awasisak Memorial School in Cumberland House Saskatchewan. She continues to teach the arts and live the arts as an Educator and Multidisciplinary artist.

Recently Josie led a project sponsored by Indigenous Pathways called Meandering Reflections that was a photography/poetry project that was a collaboration with Janine Windolph.

Missing:  Carla Otter and Allan Otter.

Advertisement