The first nine years of my life where lived in St. Laurent Manitoba where by I learn the importance of being Métis such as the values of community, family and language in Michif. I remember at a very young age that my goal was to become a famous artist. My uncle was the first of many to teach me to have an appreciation and a love for the Fine Arts. In 1986, my immediate family moved to Winnipeg Manitoba where I am still living today.
After graduation from high school in 1995, I worked at various jobs to support myself, but I had no direction or confidence for a career. Then after a minor car accident in 1999, this event forced me to think about life and I wanted a career, but first I wanted to upgrade my high school grades. I chose to return to school in 2000 at an Aboriginal school called Urban Circle in their Pre-Access Program. This experience gave me the courage and the ambition to go for a dream of getting one or two degrees at The University of Manitoba in their Access Program.
In 2001, The University of Manitoba accepted my application as a mature student. In the beginning, my goal was to become a History teacher because I was always fascinated with History. Although it took three years of university experience, I decided in 2004 my route was not to accomplish a history degree but a Fine Arts degree. My experience and knowledge I learned in the history classes where not in vain in fact I believe they are influencing the direction of my Art.
In my Art, I usually deal with the concept of Identity and the title of one of my first pieces is “Métis Identity”. It is a painting made up of watercolor and ink. The piece has many symbols that are associated with the Métis culture such as the Sash, the fiddle, the buffalo and the jiggers. It was a piece that was motivated to fight racism in the idea that The Métis nation is not a nation, but the painting proved I believe that this idea is wrong.
The cost of being a Fine Arts student is not only expensive in terms of tuition but also in terms of supplies. The cost of supplies for one studio course by itself is probably three to four times more expensive then a normal “Arts” course but I have four studio courses this year and I am also taking a Fine Arts History course that require books. I put myself through all this stress in terms of cost because I believe in my dream of becoming either a successful Métis artist or a successful Métis Fine Arts teacher. I am proud of being Métis and I hope that the Métis National Council chooses my piece to support my endeavours in school.
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