Breathe.

SEPTEMBER 24 – JANUARY 17, 2021

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Celina Loyer

Assomption of Survival

Acrylic yarn

117cm x 13cm x 2cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement Our fur trade ancestors used the sash as a tool: a belt, a rope, a tumpline. With this mask, the sash is transformed into our tool of survival during the pandemic. Based on the ancient Assomption ceinture flechée pattern and colours, the unique shape of this mask springs from creativity and necessity. Completely woven by hand, sashes usually remain the same width. Shaping the sash to fit the face requires ingenuity and perseverance. The sash is not perfect – changes in thread tension create imperfections in the weave. As we progress through the stages of the pandemic, tension affects people too, revealing flaws and inspiring adaptation of old ways to a new normal. Our people have faced pandemic before: smallpox, influenza, TB. Yet we persevere. The means to survival can feel heavy or stifling, yet we will continue to do what is necessary to ensure our culture thrives. Just breathe.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Christina King

Inuvialuit Fortitude

Seal skin, blue fox, ptarmigan feather, birch bark, leather, sequins, fabric, ribbon, bias tape, beads, elastic, chainette, reclaimed metal bag closures

9.75" x 8.5" x 2.25"

Collection of artist

Artist Statement My name is Taalrumiq/Christina King. I am an Inuvialuit woman originally from Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada. Inuvialuit are the Inuit of the Canadian Western Arctic. My home community is in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region on the shores of the Beaufort Sea/Arctic Ocean. Currently, I am living in Prince George, BC the traditional territory of the Lheidli T'enneh. Although I am far from my ancestral homeland and community, my culture is what inspires my work. Inuvialuit Fortitude Covid-19 Masks These masks are my Inuvialuit response to Covid-19. Over half of our people were wiped out during the Spanish Flu epidemic approximately 100 years ago and we were on the brink of extinction. We had no natural immunity to diseases brought over by European Whalers and Fur Traders. My maternal grandparents were young children who helped fetch water for the sick and dying during that time. Today's Inuvialuit descend from those who survived the devastating flu epidemic. We also face the same fear with Covid-19. These masks are a testament to our strength and resilience as Inuvialuit People. We are strong, intelligent, successful, modern people who still live according to traditional values and way of life passed on to us from our ancestors. As Indigenous people, our experiences tell us that we aren't really seen, heard, or valued by mainstream society. Yet we are still here despite years of colonization, systemic racism and injustice, genocide, diseases, starvation, residential schools, and ongoing ill treatment of our people. These masks are a sister set, inspired by the resilience, strength, and fortitude of Inuvialuit people and culture; these masks say "I'm here, I'm real, I have value, I exist." We are still here. Our experiences, our history, our future matters, we matter. Both masks feature traditional design elements of Inuvialuit clothing, such as walrus tusks. Walruses were an important resource for Inuvialuit life in the arctic, providing food, material for tools, rope, waterproof clothing and oil for lamps. Mask 1 is reminiscent of our traditional parka. It is made with seal skin, black leather, fabric, ptarmigan feathers, birchbark, sequins, beads and chainette fringe. This mask features white walrus tusks, enhanced with mini sequins. The geometric design in traditional black, white and red, were made of caribou hide and fur long ago. Ptarmigan feathers and birch bark are two simple things that hold strong memory for me and love for my culture. No matter how insignificant something might seem, everything had a purpose in Inuvialuit life and culture. Ptarmigan, a small arctic bird, provides food and its feathers are useful. Birch bark is found on the shores of the Arctic Ocean, washed up with drift wood, providing another necessity - fire starter, essential for life in the arctic.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Christina King

Inuvialuit Fortitude

Seal skin, blue fox, ptarmigan feather, birch bark, leather, sequins, fabric, ribbon, bias tape, beads, elastic, chainette, reclaimed metal bag closures

12" x 8.25" x 2.5"

Collection of artist

Artist Statement My name is Taalrumiq/Christina King. I am an Inuvialuit woman originally from Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada. Inuvialuit are the Inuit of the Canadian Western Arctic. My home community is in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region on the shores of the Beaufort Sea/Arctic Ocean. Currently, I am living in Prince George, BC the traditional territory of the Lheidli T'enneh. Although I am far from my ancestral homeland and community, my culture is what inspires my work. Inuvialuit Fortitude Covid-19 Masks These masks are my Inuvialuit response to Covid-19. Over half of our people were wiped out during the Spanish Flu epidemic approximately 100 years ago and we were on the brink of extinction. We had no natural immunity to diseases brought over by European Whalers and Fur Traders. My maternal grandparents were young children who helped fetch water for the sick and dying during that time. Today's Inuvialuit descend from those who survived the devastating flu epidemic. We also face the same fear with Covid-19. These masks are a testament to our strength and resilience as Inuvialuit People. We are strong, intelligent, successful, modern people who still live according to traditional values and way of life passed on to us from our ancestors. As Indigenous people, our experiences tell us that we aren't really seen, heard, or valued by mainstream society. Yet we are still here despite years of colonization, systemic racism and injustice, genocide, diseases, starvation, residential schools, and ongoing ill treatment of our people. These masks are a sister set, inspired by the resilience, strength, and fortitude of Inuvialuit people and culture; these masks say "I'm here, I'm real, I have value, I exist." We are still here. Our experiences, our history, our future matters, we matter. Both masks feature traditional design elements of Inuvialuit clothing, such as walrus tusks. Walruses were an important resource for Inuvialuit life in the arctic, providing food, material for tools, rope, waterproof clothing and oil for lamps. Mask 2 is made of white sealskin with red walrus tusks and a zigzag bead embellishment. This mask also has red sealskin and mini sequin fringe, beaded trim and natural blue fox fur accents. With braided silver ear pieces, red, white and black trim, this mask is a modern interpretation of Inuvialuit tradition. Individually each mask is beautiful, strong, and makes a statement. Together they are so much more. Like Inuvialuit, together they are stronger! Like all indigenous people, together they are stronger!

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Kristi Bridgeman

Newborn and Child

Cotton, glass beads, sweetgrass

4.5"x3"x0.75"

Collection of artist

Artist Statement Newborn and Child mask acknowledges our children’s experience during this frightening time. Please note* This is an art installation piece only, not meant for a child to wear. As an artist who works from home, my day to day routine during the pandemic has not changed dramatically. Of course the news is inescapable and fear is certainly present. I don a mask, limit my grocery visits and have cancelled shows and engagements. But despite the seriousness of the pandemic, I am still able to create and spend my days in the same environment. For many children during the early part of the pandemic though, life has taken a surreal shift. Left behind are the daily customs of walking to school, the corner store, playing with friends, birthday parties, swimming lessons and travel to see family. A childs experience has been schoolwork at the kitchen table, yellow tape around the playgrounds, faces in masks and measuring distances between each other. Living close to my grandson as caregiver and teacher, I have lived this experience alongside him. While home is a safe haven from frightening things, there is no denying that there has been sacrifice and anxiety. We do this for our elders and those who can’t fight off the virus. Certainly the children of Covid will have lost an innocence. In the next few weeks our family await the arrival of a new baby. I had looked forward to attending this birth, as I have others in the family. During COVID, hospitals limit visitors per patient, so despite experience as birth coach and a strong desire to be there with my daughter, I will step aside so that the father can be there. I sympathize with how awful it must be for those millions of people who are unable to be with their loved ones. The fabric of this piece has been given an antique over dye to simulate a mask worn during the 1918 Spanish Influenza. The tiny newborn face mask, cupped in the mother’s hand- convey our contemporary experience with children during pandemic. The piece includes pastel medicine wheel colours and yellow mouse tracks, for the children.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Naomi Smith

Honouring Our Medicines

Glass beads, cloth foundation, cotton velveteen, paper, red deer hide, brass sequins, nylon thread, cotton calico, metal beads

13.97cm x 13.462cm x 13.33cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement Honouring Our Medicines • A Mask Project This project began as a reflection of things that are important to me. As a Woodlands Indigenous person one of my favourite things are Strawberries. Strawberries are the first fruit that nourishes us after the long winter. As a child some of my fondest memories revolve around walking in the meadows collecting up the tiny wild Strawberries that were abundant during the early weeks of summer. I recall always looking forward to picking farm fresh Strawberries. These were such happy days. The teachings I was gifted with tell how plants are our Medicines. They bring us nourishment and healing. Strawberries signal the end of winter into the season of abundance. Ancestors knew the Strawberries were important. I also wanted to honour the bees and I included tiny bees on each side of my mask. We cannot survive without our plants. Bees help the plants which in turn helps us. The enduring cycle of life is what I was thinking of while creating my piece. My mask was constructed during the Strawberry season, and moon. I wanted to honour this by adding Strawberries into my design along with a white bloom that is represents the Strawberry flower. The summer is such a beautiful time of the year. Many of us are missing some of summer due to Covid19. I have been inside our house for months. I like that I can preserve our Traditions from a contemporary perspective, I think our Ancestors would have made their own masks too if this was an important part of life. Thankfully I have my beading to keep me in a good mind. Beading is relaxing for me, it feeds my Spirit and acts as a canvas of expression, where I can tell my stories and share the traditions of my people. Our Indigenous art is meant to preserve and remind us of these important acts of life.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Towanna Miller

Corona Covid

Pleather, felt, sunglass lenses, velveteen, beads, hat, buckles, jingle cone

Mask: 15" x 6" x 7" Hat: 13" x 6"

Collection of artist

Artist Statement Title: Corona Covid Description: Mask created during the 2020 Corona Virus Pandemic. Beaded using flat style, peyote stitch and Iroquois raised beadwork. The inside is made of pleather, has holes underneath to breath and beak is open to place medicinal herbs inside. The middle layer is a thick felt. The outside is made of velveteen adorned with Iroquois beaded vines and purple flowers outlined in turquoise blue. The muse of inspiration was a crow which was beaded flat style in the center of the hat. The brim of the hat is peyote beaded. A pair of sunglasses were used for the tinted round eyes. The mask has three straps to secure to the head with buckles on the side for adjustment. Jingle Cone used for the tip of the beak. Artist Statement: I have to admit that I have a dark side. I enjoy horror movies and the paranormal. I wanted my mask to reflect the time. For me, I have always incorporated the past into my work. Long ago they had plague masks with medicinal herbs put inside. To me they always look like birds. The Crow was now my muse. I like that face that my mask has a darkness to it sprinkled with beauty, just like the time we are now in. Surrounded by so much darkness like death and sickness yet if you look around we do have beauty in our lives such as kindness and generosity.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Lisa Shepherd

Be Well 2020

Velveteen, glass beads, cotton fabric

25cm x 23cm x 8.5cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement I worked through so many thoughts as I stitched this mask. It was like untangling thread. Frustrating at times, but necessary in order to move forward with creating. Like many other artists I've read about, I took a good two weeks of being entirely unproductive at the start of this pandemic hitting our part of the world. Then, one day, I realized how much I was grieving normalcy. Had it really been only two weeks prior that I was sitting with students at a high school, all talking about spring break plans? How fast that changed! With naming the grief, my inspiration and desire to create came back again. I also thought about our interconnectedness. To each other. To nature. Our family has been escaping to the forest when we can and making offerings to the water. It's a time of feeling very small but, with that, also a release of so much that we seem to carry every day. There is a strange comfort that also comes with loss of all sense of control. Okay, so here we are. Isolating, and at the same time realizing the deep need that we have for each other. For connection to each other and to all living beings. Has anyone else noticed the sheer joy that a car ride brings? After a month of isolating, I have a better understanding of the perspective of my dogs. In a car ride, as we pass through our city that seems to have slowed down to pace of the small prairie town from my childhood, the colours seem brighter, the sounds more crisp, the air is clean and - oh, that sky! How could we have taken such everyday miracles for granted for so long? There is so much for us to feel grateful for. And yet - never has a beadwork project felt so full of paradox, in a time of fear, uncertainty, and loss. We are heading into a long weekend. Our family will be staying home. We are going to take time to say our gratitudes. To Creator, to Mother Earth and to each other. Covid19 has happened so fast and many that have come down sick have gone to hospital alone and passed on to the next world. What was left unsaid? And so, I will try and keep open to all the vivid beauty of the world and try not to take even a single moment for granted. I will tell the people that are dear to me that I love them. I've been saying that a lot lately to every friend that I speak with on the phone or video chat, because I do. On this long weekend, I pray that others will embrace this opportunity to do the same. Stay home. Be well.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Nathalie Bertin

Pandemic Vogue

Hematite, glass beads, velveteen, ribbon, cotton fabric

12" x 8.25" x 2.5"

Collection of artist

Artist Statement Pandemic Vogue (2020), Nathalie Bertin For my second mask, I explored the concept of vanity which ultimately led me to reflect on privilege. This custom made mask is based on the tattoo designs on my arm. This mask is all about me, to protect me and others from me. The designs on my tattoos are based on traditional beadwork designs. In a sense, the designs have come full circle – from beadwork on a traditional garment, to my tattoos and back to beadwork on a contemporary article for me to wear. As I worked on the mask, I had heard or read someone asking what it would take to normalize wearing masks so that everyone would finally wear one. I also found it interesting that couturier Yves St Laurent was making masks for the front lines. I wondered if they put their logo on the masks. I also wondered when we might see Dolce & Gabana or Channel ads for masks or models wearing some masks on runways. I chose to create a mock ad for my mask as a way to try to answer the question of how these masks could become normalized. However the bigger question is whether it could ever be a normal thing to wear a mask on a day-to-day basis. And normalized for whom? There is often-violent history against women who chose to wear a Niqab, even here in friendly Canada. Many non-Muslim people of colour who might want to wear a mask may not do so for fear that they may be mistaken for a criminal. Therefore, is it really possible for us to normalize the wearing of masks or is it only for a certain group of people?

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Lisa Shepherd

How Much?

Brain-tanned buckskin, glass beads, tin jingles, cotton fabric

25cm x 21cm x 6cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement The Covid19 pandemic first shows itself locally with the emptying of stores. Only social media is well stocked, of images of empty shelves. Supply and demand brings opportunity for the ethically-devoid few who buy up pallets of hand sanitizer, N95 masks and other essential medical supplies to sell on Amazon at 400% margin. Healthcare and emergency workers are forced to reuse personal protective equipment and risk their lives to save our loved ones. After two weeks of nothing – no sewing, no creating – I crack open my chest and begin to weed through the juxtaposition of all that is happening. Heart fully exposed. Through all, the birds can be heard more clearly than before. The air is crisp and clean. No traffic sounds. There are sightings of animals where people no longer monopolize space. Bit by bit, the inspiration to create returns. I wonder, when we get through this, will we be better than before? Will we have learned what is truly important? Is this hope? I post my art mask. Private messages. Lacking introduction. Two words. How much?

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Graham Paradis

Quillpocalypse Now

Procupine quills, moose hide, velveteen, cloth, aluminum screen, rawhide, sinew, 24 kt gold spikes, silk ribbon, braided yarn, cedar

20cm x 16cm x 5.5cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement This Covid mask is an Indigenous futurism inspired by a nightmare of a post-apocalyptic world where the birch bark population (one of our traditional materials used for quillwork) has been decimated by settler resource extraction and we quill on whatever we can.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Louise Vien

Hero

Red silk ribbon, black cashmere, beads, dentilium shells, metal cones, cotton fabric

5.5" x 8.25" x 0.25"

Collection of artist

Artist Statement " HERO " This mask was done to honor my sister who is a front line worker at the General Hospital as an RN in the ER. I used 15 and 16 size beads to remind us that the success in the ER is in the details. I used small jingles on the side to remember the healing story of the jingle dress and how as a nurse her purpose is to help in the healing process. Their is a total of 7 jingles per side to honor the 7 teachings that my sister embodies everyday as she works in the ER. I added denthilium shells which are spaced to represents the space that we must share between us to maintain health.. The flower was to be a rose but realised it looks more like a poppy which I find ironic. Because as an RN she goes to the front line to battle an invisible enemy which in my books makes her a veteran to her trade and a hero in my book. at the bottom on the mask you will find 3 glass tears. First tear is one of exhaustion and sweat. The second tear is the tear of loss and despair while the third tear is one of happiness and hope. I greatly admirer my sister for her ethics and care she puts in her work. Not only is she concerned for her patients but is also for her co-workers. All the while working at the hospital she works at home doing masks for the staff she works with. She has sewn over 150 mask just so everyone is safe and don’t run out. To you I salut Sis...Plus I wish you a Happy Birthday in advance knowing we wont be able to get together but just wanted to say your my hero. And that from time to time you should stop and smell the roses.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Nathalie Bertin

All That We Need

Beads, birch bark, leather, cotton twine

12" x 8.25" x 2.5"

Collection of artist

Artist Statement At the beginning of May 2020, I spent some time away in the bush for the seasonal, traditional spring food gathering. As a sustenance hunter and forager, this is an important part of my physical and spiritual life. Some of the most profound lessons I have ever learned have occurred while sitting in wait at the base of a tree while watching the life all around me. The connections that provide meaning are palpable and enduring. I hold those connections even when I am away from those natural areas. On a particular walk, a birch tree showed me its shedding skin. Having been so inspired by traditional basket makers, birch bark biting art and, more recently, some artists in “Breathe” and never having worked with birch except for making the odd pair of earrings, I thought it would be an interesting exploration to see what could be done with birch. I accepted the tree’s gift and brought it back to camp not knowing exactly what I would do. I often look to nature to signal different things. Birch was already telling me that it contained the potential to make something useful out of it (or not – depending on how well I could hone my existing skills). Of course, birch has been used in a multitude of ways by our various communities. At the very least, it would help me build a fire! That very thought reminded me of the story about how Nanabush went to get fire from Thunderbird. After stealing the fire, he changed into rabbit and ran as Thunderbird threw bolts of fire at him while chasing him. Birch offered Nanabush protection but suffered burn scratches from the bolts that can be seen today as dark scars on these trees. This story was also a reminder me of how communities share the transfer of knowledge orally. This is how children learn that Birch is a safe tree to seek shelter from in a storm. A few days later, another sentinel came to mind. The Moccasin Flower (aka Pink Lady Slipper Orchid) grows in our area for a brief time in spring. The delicate flower requires a special balance in the earth to grow. (I’ve tried to transplant it but have been unsuccessful.) As a traditional food gatherer, I know that when this flower appears, it is the right time for certain hunting activities. The Moccasin Flower also reminded me of another story. Briefly, this story is about how a community had fallen ill during a harsh winter but had no medicines left to treat the people. The illness had become so bad that even the Chief and the Messengers were ill. One of the last members still well enough to make the harsh trek to another village to obtain medicines was a young woman whose husband had also fallen ill. Determined and brave, she set off in the winter cold. As time went by, the woman’s community began to worry that she had not come back yet. A search party of the few remaining healthy went out to look for her. When they found her frozen body, she was clutching a birch basket filled with medicines. They also saw her tracks in the snow were stained with blood from her bare feet. She had sacrificed her life so that others could live. When spring came, the Moccasin flowers started to grow where her feet had stained the snow. The story of the Moccasin Flower now has a new significance for me in these days of Covid-19. This is the moment when I decided I would make a mask with the birch bark. I hadn’t planned on making a third mask. (Side note: Turns out I was actually still mourning the vandalized destruction of an outdoor public art installation I had made merely a year ago... The idea of putting my soul into another art object for potential public viewing took quite a few days to talk myself into.) With the very little experience I have with birch bark, I knew that it would be quite delicate to work with. I had to be patient. I had to be in a positive mindset. I had to be focussed. The slightest tug of thread in the wrong direction would certainly cause my work to fall apart. As long as I remained vigilant in how I treated this special material, it gave itself to me. I was amazed at just how much sticking of the needle it could actually take!

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Marcy Friesen

Unashsamed

Beads, silver fox tails, skunk pelt, moose hide straps

22cm x 13cm x 5cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement This is a mental health mask. The effects of covid 19 has brought out so many emotions in me. I chose to bead a five petal flower exploding as I have previously beaded on my mental health moccasin. I have been aware of mental health issues my whole life in one form or another. I feel it is still something we don’t feel comfortable talking about. I chose to use bead soup and each bead represents a feeling or emotion that I have felt these past few months to varying degrees. I also beaded in a couple hidden images as people suffering with mental health issues can be so private so if we don’t know what to look for or what to ask, we wont know and won't be able to open up discussions. I've backed the mask with a skunk pelt simply because mental health issues and depression really stinks!! And the silver fox ties are so soft reminding me to be gentle and kind with myself and everyone around me because we are all going through this together. I hope you love it and that it helps in some way.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Cheryl Broschell

Stronger Together

Glass

30cm x 15cm x 7cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement When I saw the Breathe project I was intrigued to try to make a mask out of glass. I placed individual stringers of glass side by side, horizontally and vertically to represent how we are all so tightly weaved together in this. I chose blues and greens to emulate a feeling of the globe. The black stringers are the virus that is spreading across the globe, touching us all in some way. Individual stringers are very fragile, fused together they become stronger, however the finished glass is still weaker than most pieces of glass. COVID showed me this is true in our lives, our normal routines and things we take for granted are so much more fragile than we realize!

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Cynthia Boehm

Optimism

Beads, smoked deer hide, rabbit fur, red lace, melton wool

10" x 8" x 0.25"

Collection of artist

Artist Statement “Optimism” a mental attitude reflecting a belief or hope that the outcome will be positive. When I made this mask the word optimism came to my mind. Wanting to share a positive message during these uncertain times “optimism” expressed my feelings and gave me hope. The inspiration for the mask came from all the elaborate, exquisite mukluks that were created in Norway House. Grateful for the makers of the many stunning mukluks that I personally knew through immediate family, one maker being my lovely great grandmother. The mask is made with smoked home tan deer hide accented with decorative red lace and rabbit fur pom poms that was common in Norway House mukluk designs. The beadwork represents the bright, bold floral beadwork that I remember and is forever instilled in my memory. The Cree/Métis women of northern Manitoba, in particular Norway House are known for their bright bold silk embroidery often referenced as the “Norway House Style”. Through my studies of beadwork, I have noticed that the bright bold embroidery patterns have been carried over into the beadwork patterns of Norway House beadwork designs, and is what my mask represents.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Amanda Roy

Wild Roses

Birch Bark, sweetgrass, pine sap, sinew, bear fat, deer hide, spruce root

15cm x 14cm x 10cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement Boozhoo, my name is Amanda Roy and I am Anishinaabek, bear clan from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island where I was born and raised. I am currently living and working in Montreal, Quebec, on Mohawk territory. I’d never made a mask before let alone done birch bark etching. Last Winter I participated in building two birch bark canoes so I had some knowledge of working with birch bark, spruce roots, and pine sap. I had asked the elder who was teaching us to build the canoes how to do etching and he took a scrap of bark, sprayed it with water, then scratched it with his pocket knife and said there you go. The mask featuring a wild rose was my first attempt at birch bark etching and mask making. I had seen people making their own masks with beadwork and was struck by how the shape of them from the side looked very similar to the bow of a canoe. I started thinking how it would be cool if someone made one out of birch bark then the more I thought of it, the more I thought well, why not give it a shot. The problem being, living in downtown Montreal during a pandemic that had shut the city down, and not knowing where to find materials. I started thinking of places close by, parks, trails, and other green spaces where I had seen trees and what variety I had seen. I set out to the park by my place and the walking trail close by and little by little I found what I needed. All materials for these masks with the exception of the deer hide ties have been found and foraged from downtown Montreal. Each mask is made with birch bark, cedar wood to support the nose bridge from neighbourhood hedges, sap and roots from the walking trail by my apartment, deer hide from my mother, and sweetgrass for the edging. Roots were used to sew the two parts together with a sap/bear fat mix to seal the seams and further support the shape of the masks. I chose to use a wild rose for the first mask because all along the walking trails by my apartment there are wild roses growing wherever the city left spaces between their manicured flower gardens. It’s an interesting contrast to these manufactured spaces to have wild roses growing wherever they please, how they please, despite attempts to control and groom these uniform spaces.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Tania Clute Jacobs

Reslient Flowers

Pellon, beads, ribbon

7" x 6" x5.5"

Collection of artist

Artist Statement My cousin saw the open call for beadwork for Breathe back in the beginning of April. I was working on looming several replica wampum belts and started thinking about some concepts. I drew up my initial design, and it took me a while before I actually started the project. I kept putting it off and wasn’t sure I was going to make the mask. I knew I wanted to create something that would reflect me as an artist. That I wanted it to be a fully beaded face mask, because I love to bead. It’s a passion. But I couldn’t get into this particular project. Then we found out that my husband’s family who live in another community had COVID-19. Thinking about them and my own family here, I just started to work on the mask. A lot of emotions went into the creation of this mask. It was a challenge to make and I almost gave up a few times, because it wasn’t coming out quite right. Finally, I knew exactly what I wanted and I went into a happy place with focus. In total it took me about two-weeks to complete. After I was done, my husband helped me to pick my fingers up off the floor. I made a structured mask out of Pellon and card stock to bead with vinyl backing, representing how precious the N95 masks have become during the pandemic. Running along the bottom of the mask are strawberry plants, which is a good medicine in our culture stemming from our creation story. There are three flowers on the mask representing my children and hope that our medicines will keep them protected, just as a mask helps to protect the healthcare workers on the front line.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Teresa Burrows

Cease & Desist: the Bearded Lady Mask

Glass beads, silk, leather, tanned beaver tails, beaver teeth, zippers

71" x 50" x 10"

Collection of artist

Artist Statement Following my mom’s death on Remembrance Day 2019, I did not bead for three months and found myself in a media explosion of pipeline protests, followed by a shutdown due to covid19 and a world questioning systemic racism. Over the past couple months I returned to beadwork but with plans to create masks and mixed media lungs. I create multiple works simultaneously so I have a badger mask, caribou and raven lungs works in progress. But these are story and portrait masks. Over the years Sandra Alfoldy , professor, art historian and curator (who included my beaded works in the Cheongju Biennale, Vancouver Olympics and tours of Scotland and Canada ) succumbed to cancer, also in 2019. The Scottish play (Macbeth) introduces us to three women (witches) with beards who are said to know when something wicked this way comes!!! How much pricking is known to beaders! I had been working on templates for the tree of knowledge and tree of life. Something was chewing at the roots. Pandemics are cease and desists? In history and still where superstition overwhelms, witches are blamed for pandemics. In history the bearded ones were accused of witchcraft when we wanted to “unsex” power, of traditional medicinal knowledge and take away land based healing to then masculine worlds of medicine and science. Those who were eccentric or outspoken were often labelled witches. Nowadays corporations have alternative means to silence whistleblowers and wisdom keepers. In the English language a beaver is an obsolete term for a full beard. It also has slang associations to women. Canada was born of a beaver. Corporate greed and fashion had already made the beaver extinct in Europe and nearly did again following the HBC exploitation of the animal here in North America. 350 years to protest beaver lives matter and land back. I literally live adjacent to beaver lodges. But we don’t listen to the creatures anymore- those sacred languages lost. Sandra Alfoldy has written books and done lectures about Canadian Craft. She has a humorous ironic take on artisans as “bearded”. She had been questioning the corporate appropriation of words like “artisan” and “craft” to sell mass produced products. She had lamented that in 2016 Maple Leaf Foods had trademarked the words “Canadian Craft TM” for their apple whiskey flavoured bacon, as if all the textile, wood, metal, glass and other media makers across Canada did not produce “real” Canadian Craft! For a chapter in her book she inquired and was slapped with a “cease and desist” to discuss, lecture, reference etc. their use of this apple whiskey trademark. I had discussed making Beaded apple whiskey beavers for a exhibition that subsequently was cancelled following her illness/death. I had told her I was creating works around the true Canadian artisan- the beaver. Artists who truly produce Canadian Craft leave their DNA in their works. These are the Dam Nation Artists who do not observe the cease and desist terrorism of corporations. They are the “land back” originators. I have been working on a full beaded DNA genome for beaver teeth as part of my embroidered confessions and other collaborations series funded by Manitoba Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts. Part of the series expands into another work cease and desist: the sin eater, a fully beaded beaver fur cape about northern Manitoban beavers taken in 1946 to Argentina (and are now invasive species)-Adored but now damned too! Years ago the Suffragettes used stitching as part of the Victorian underground to promote health and human rights. I have reclaimed damaged pieces of antique Needlecraft. -Neatly stitched in a orderly pattern - sometimes the revolution needs us to take things apart before we recreate new beginnings. In burial histories we would deflesh and sit with the bones- we would bury and dig up the bones a year later before a final ceremony to honour the spirits and release our memories. A new set of clothes took us away from mourning attire. There will be a time when we no longer need the mask but will we have learned from those spirits and bones how to live new lives. Do we honour those we mourn with new science, new medicines, new relationships with others and our world? Sometimes we can remake the world if we listen to the whispers. Maybe a mask is meant to tell us to shut up and listen to the needs of our world, our climate, our peoples, our creatures (flora and fauna) I cut up antique beadwork to create with new additions, a bearded lady mask. (BLM) Hidden under a N95 mask is Sandra’s smile, that while no longer seen, is well remembered by those who shared her time. I believe in giving the mask some art with teeth so the work will feature beaver tail leather, beaver teeth, zippers, and as I have time I hope I can add a DNA dam nation artists manifesto based on Sandra’s lectures and what language I can create with zipper teeth. This may be added behind or as part of the PPE gloves with more beaded sections, beaver tail leather, fur etc. Through this pandemic it has been the makers that have helped others survive changes as they happened. Artists have gifted their talents and continue to leave a legacy that is our true Canadian Craft.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Adele Arseneau

Every Bead a Breath

Moose hide, buffalo hide, horse hair, vintage abalone buttons, vintage charlotte beads, glass miyuki beads, ocean jasper, cotton

13.5" x 7" x 1"

Collection of artist

Artist Statement Every Bead a Breath Handmade Mask by Adele maskwasowiskwew Arseneau As an indigenous woman, I’ve largely passed through this existence feeling like I have no voice. Most of my art has been focused on creating around the endangered stories of others, to put them up on the proverbial soapbox, making them personable and real. It never occurred to me to tell my own story, with its roots so intertwined with this land now called Canada. All of my portrait carvings reflect this journey, with most of them only having the suggestion of a mouth. My hands do the speaking as they create the pieces I make. Using everything I am given, like my kohkoms before me. Appreciating the materials, and the memories they bring. Each piece is like a reflection, capturing a moment in my life. Beading my anxiety away, each bead a breath. Each stitch sewing me back into my culture, bringing with it remembering, intertwining me with my roots, making me stronger and more whole. Several elements come from family stories, the arrow sash - to remember how my family stood alongside One Arrow and his Nation before the territories became Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Buffalo hide to remember the bull taken at Pink Mountain where my father was Captain of the Hunt. Abalone buttons passed down through the family from mother to daughter, traded from the coast to the prairies, and now returned. Horsehair and flower beadwork to honor my nehiyaw mother and my Métis father. Ocean Jasper and the blue palette - as air and water walk hand in hand and we cannot live without either. Everything has a place in this world, like beads - we do best when we are put where we can shine. It’s all part of a larger picture, this is how something small can impact something larger than ourselves. We all need to tell our stories because someone out there needs to hear them. Adele maskwasowiskwew Arseneau, is an emerging nehiyaw (Cree) - Métis visual artist. Creating traditional and contemporary beadwork, along with carving red and yellow cedar - she tells stories to engage audiences around social and environmental issues. This is her language and these are her stories.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Kathleen (Kats) Klein

Beware the Next Shiny Thing

Melton wool, glass beads, thread; cotton backing, metal wire, ribbon

23cm x 23.5cm x 1.75cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement Beware the Next Shiny Thing Covid-19 Project - Breathe. May/June 2020 Métis beaded mask by Kathleen (Kats) Klein This Mask represents my fear that humans have become addicted to new and shiny objects at the expense of their own safety. Like all addictions, those afflicted with Next Shiny Thing addictions will do anything for a fix. Even risk exposure to life threatening circumstances, or in this case, Covid-19. This addiction leaves us in a superficial state of needing to stimulate or soothe our souls with shiny new things. Seeking a false sense of power, we take whatever thing we desire from dollar store plastics to gold trimmed SUV’s. We blindly accumulate debt and turn away from our interconnectedness to nature and humanity in the pursuit of the fix. Beware the Next Shiny Thing questions the current state of anxiety that I feel over this disconnected and addicted time we live in. The gold fringe/tassels form a curtain that beckons with shine and glamour and can be pulled back to reveal the warning, Do Not Enter, Covid-19 is present.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Krista Leddy

Fighting Chickadees

Glass beads, wood, deer hide, cotton

15cm x 19cm x 6cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement These chickadees are in battle, with the image being inspired by the fighting and hoarding of goods we experienced and are experiencing during this time of Covid. Items that were available in sufficient quantities, such as toilet paper, yeast, and soap were hoarded by some, creating artificial shortages that were completely unnecessary. How we were fighting over these resources reminded me of chickadees fighting over a feeder with plenty of seed. Really, fighting over nothing when if we could set aside our greed and fear so we could share, there would be enough for everyone. The design elements of the mask are also a statement of the selfishness, lack of cooperation, and lack of sense we have experienced. The pattern for the mask is ineffective for reducing the spread of the virus. The straps do not tie the mask on securely, but rather are placed for visual appeal and for display. The back of the straps, where they are attached to the mask, is beaded to create a hidden vanity that would be very uncomfortable to wear and have no effective purpose. The straps are finger woven in the traditional style of the Métis sash, and the mask is trimmed with hand tanned deer hide.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Marlene Kelly

Generations - My Story

Tanned deer hide, cotton fabric, silk-elastic paracord, rabbit fur, beads

99cm x 16.5cm x 16.6cm

Collection of artist

Artists Statement GENERATIONS - MY STORY Tansi, I am 4th generation Cree-Metis beadwork artist. My ancestral home is Ft. Chipewyan & Ft. MacMurray AB. I am privileged to live in the unceded territory of the K’omoks First Nation. As I sat drawing the design for my pandemic mask, I took comfort in the ease the pattern formed from my mind’s eye to paper. The flowers, the curves of the vines, the shapes of the leaves, every colour I saw transformed with a familiarity of generational knowledge. These are the patterns that my nikâwiy, nokôm and okômâw used and were now passed down to me. As I started beading, thoughts of convenience, even during this pandemic, floated through my mind. Thoughts of the struggles and hardships of the strong women who came before me. Women who persevered and survived with a lot less than I am blessed with today. Thoughts of the Dr’s orders to keep my 87 year old mom safe inside because she won’t survive this Coronavirus. I will protect her fiercely, lovingly, diligently, patiently until her last breath. One day I will be the matriarch in my family... but not today. Beading this mask connected me to these strong women. It awakened my soul memory, reminding me that I have the gifts, knowledge and resilience to overcome just as they did but with a lot more conveniences and resources. Mask: tanned deer hide, cotton bandana Ties: silk & elastic paracord, rabbit fur pom poms Beadwork: s11 silver-lined / frosted /metallic / opaque / neon czech glass seed beads, s15 charlottes, s6 glass transparent beads, 11mm multi coloured crystal teardrop beads Thread: size D white Nymo, 8lb smoke fireline, 6lb crystal fireline

Untitled (Five Family Members Mask with Fox Tails)

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Marcy Friesen

Untitled (Five Family Members Mask with Fox Tails)

Arctic fox tails, beads, pellon, white felt, moose hide

18" x 11" x 5"

Collection of artist

Artist Statement My fully beaded mask with arctic fox tail "ties". I based five flowers representing the 5 members of my family. We are all under 1 roof again since Covid 19 brought 2 of our children home from furthering their education. Each petal of every flower is different because we are all processing this time differently. And it is our "new normal". Red is my go to bead color naturally and I used a bead soup to fill the mask in. I love the sparkle and beauty of the bead and fur combo. So many thoughts and prayers while creating this mask....

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Nathalie Bertin

Blueberries

Moose hide, beads, melton wool, cotton fabric, rabbit fur, leather

Collection of artist

Artist Statement “Blueberries”, Nathalie Bertin Here is my first pandemic mask. It’s a concept piece that was inspired by a telephone conversation I had with my mother a week or so ago (late March 2020). She had already been self-isolating alone in her condo for a couple of weeks with only the rare trip out for necessities and some drop offs from my brother. During the conversation, I realized her anxiety levels had increased thanks to too much TV and the snowbirds that were returning from the south, going about their daily lives as if everything was normal. She was so worried about going out even to check the mail box but didn’t have any masks. She went through her recycling, found an empty, plastic blueberry container from the grocery store and cut the lid off. She stuffed tissues in the lid, got some elastic and fashioned herself a mask. Then, with rubber gloves and a couple of q-tips to push the elevator buttons, off she went to check the mail. (I’ve since mailed her some masks.) When she first told me about her make-do solution, I laughed! You have to know my mother. If nothing else, she’s always been resourceful. This was genuinely funny. On the other hand, she’s also very mistrustful thanks to a lifetime of experiences. Just as I wondered at the level of insecurity and paranoia that a person could reach, she recalled how her grandmother – my great grandmother -- had died of “consumption” (aka tuberculosis) at a fairly young age. It caused us to pause for a moment because that wasn’t really that long ago. And then we were hit with the realization that we knew nothing about our common matriarch. We don’t even know where she was buried except she went into a mass grave somewhere in North Bay, ON. Other than a census record showing she lived on Nipissing with my great grandfather, there is no other documentation of her except a general death notice. Without these two records, and some relatives’ memories, she almost would never have existed. I have to wonder how many other people are feeling this same sense of loss…? ABOUT THE MASK: I chose blueberries atop a blueberry flower surrounded with silver beads to represent the container my mother used. Blueberries are also great anti-oxidants. She had noted that after a while it was hard to breathe through that hard plastic with all the tissue and could feel condensation build up by the time she was back in her own space. This is represented by the blue and clear beads. I used moose hide to represent our matriarchal clan. I used fur as edging to symbolize further filtration of air that could get in through the sides. This isn’t what I would have done from a design perspective but my mom definitely would have for the perceived practicality. There are also tiny beads on the moose hide symbolizing the free born particles that float around us all the time. Unless you look carefully, you can’t see the “one” that might just infect you. On the inside, there is a pocket for cedar. Another good medicine used for the prevention of chest infection and irritation.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Dianne Brown-Green

The Journey

Handmade milkweed paper, acrylic paint, beads

14.5" x 17" x 5"

Collection of artist

Artist Statement My mask is made of hand painted monarchs on handmade/ pressed milkweed pulp paper, the one and only plant monarchs need to survive. Included in the paper is forgetmeknotts flowers to represent those we have lost to the virus so they are not forgotten . Blue beads on the outer edges the sky and waters of which the Monarch flys through and over as they journey across the globe. Green beads are milkweed and creamy White are eggs. They represent strength and endurance traveling thousands of miles during their annual migration every year to only reproduce a generation to return home in time to celebrate souls and spirits of the dead. Their metamorphoses from egg, caterpillar and chrysalis to once again emerge into a beautiful butterfly. They face many challenges during their journey, weather conditions, pesticides, insects that eat their only food source to survive and predators. They remind of the current situation in the world, the challenges and changes we are all making. Other insects that eat the one plant they need to survive is parallel to the early stages of hoarding necessities instead of only taking what we need and thinking of others. Their final stage of emerging into a butterfly which is like looking after our Elders for future generations we can learn so much from them to be kind to one another as we all share one planet. I have met many friends from around the world as we have followed their journey. I feel we are on a journey much like theirs one filled with uncertainty, changes and challenges that join us all together. We need to be like them kind and gentle to each other.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Lisa Shepherd

Wahkohtowin

Velveteen, beads, ribbon, cotton fabric, tin jingles, hand-tied yarn tassels

24cm x 15cm x 8cm

Collection of artist

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Candace Longjohn-Constant

Resilience

Commercial buckskin, beads, elastic cord, cotton fabric, interfacing

24cm x 16.5cm x 4cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement Working on masks has been keeping my busy during these covid times, making masks has settled my mind. I’m a mom of 6, most of my children have grown, my youngest child just turned 12 and my eldest 26. So really can’t call them children, but I do. We’ve always been a single income Family of 8. Three of our boys (20, 15 and 13) all are on the spectrum of autism. Everyday there is a milestone to be celebrated from the simplest of tasks to the millionth time we’ve heard “Pixar No DreamWorks” types of repeated lines. It’s comforting having a routine with them, it’s been a breeze staying home with them because we already are self isolated. They don’t mind but I do, so I occupy my home time on the best of times with so many hobbies, and I encourage the boys to keep on trying new things through my hobbies, I’ve done custom cakes, beading, sewing, rabbit sharing to name a few, but covid offered a new way for me to help them connect with the world. through social distancing via masks. My second eldest daughter and our family made cloth to 200 masks for the Saskatoon Lighthouse, that was great team work! Then this opportunity came along and I actually made maybe 11 different masks. I wanted to encapsulate the work of connecting with the culture via iron on images my drawings with fabric paint and appliqué mixed with beadwork, there was something about those pieces that just didn’t fit. Then I thought heck, I’m here in my house and I see my late capan (great grandmothers photo) I took home from my high school classroom because on that day we were all told to go home I couldn’t bare to leave her photo, her awesomeness in that empty building, so I took her home and have her in my makeshift private office (the back mud room) where me and my sons built t-shelves for all my work items. Anyway I was sitting there safe in my home and knowing I have these skills attained as a child by my capan and I hadn’t used them, I began doodling a flower.., my go to is usually a prairie lily because my youngest is named Prairie, but my doodle was a bit more, I thought of all the colours I wanted to portray and why I used them. - blue for autism awareness, and for the #differentnotless, so much of my mask design includes compliments of my sons, who by routine will say “mom I see you are working so hard” or “good job!“ and usually only interrupt me if they want permission to have Pepsi or to show me how cute our 8 year old cat is for the billionth time and blue also because it represents water, water cleanses is, it is purity, it’s what we need to use to wash our hands with and to drink often to fight this virus Red- I chose red because to me it represents the resilience of women, of the grand mothers, mothers, daughters Who have helped shape us, teach us our ways and remind us of our gentleness when we are front line workers in our own homes and usually extend our helping hands further then our curbs Yellow was chosen because the sun rises in the east. It’s a reminder that tomorrow isn’t promised but the gift the day brings we should make good use of it for Everyone and be thankful for another day go teach and care for others Green is for our earth, to show us that we must treat the earth respectfully and to reconnect as much as possible; Pink because I like colours, and just had to use those beads haha. And lastly white, it is a reminder that we have an almighty Creator, the colour reminds us to pray, just pray in thanks and hope for our families Anyways that’s why I chose those colours and I appreciated the time my children watched my work, the leathers used are commercial hide and worn buckskin type hide. The mask is usable; it has two layers of interfacing with a floral Cotton backing with a functional pocket where you can add a paper towel. Usually I put a nose wire but this one didn’t need it. It has a beaded edge that matches my three daughters’ leggings they had as children. Another reason I designed it the way I did was, I wanted to fashion as a crown, I like wearing my masks on my head when I can, and this one sort of looks like a crown a princess would earn at a POW wow, kind of cool ... A lot of love and care of my family supporting me make it went into this mask and I love them for it, kinâskomitin hiy hiy thank you for reading

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Howard Lafortune

Wildman

Yellow cedar, acrylic paint, lemon oil

10.5cm x 16cm x 8cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement Been carving for 40 years and started these half masks out old yellow cedar and 2 almost 3 months ago but this one is the first I have done. Usually do a bear or an eagle. Thought I may change it up a bit. Took me about 20 hrs or more to do, it weighs 90 grams and starts out at about 900 grams. It is the wildman and I do like the way it turned out. Fits nicely with acrylic paint and oiled.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Cheryl Broschell

Grow Love

Glass, lead, solder, chain

29cm x 12.5cm x 4cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement After my first attempt at a fused glass mask it was suggested I try incorporating traditional stained glass into one. I was still stuck on the idea that we are all in this together, so I fused the front garden panel. The first fear of COVID-19 and separation from family caused a lot of anxiety for me. My reaction to subsequent newscasts was that we needed more love and kindness. I wanted to build a garden that would “Grow Love”. The sides of the mask are traditional lead stained glass, the colours of water, earth and sky. Walking each day I find the air and land brighter and healthier, perhaps a positive result of everyone staying home!

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Terri Thomas

Covid Contrast

Cotton velvet, cotton calico, glass beads, satin ribbon

28cm x 20cm x 0.5cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement My mask is called “Covid Contrast.” I used colours that contrasted with each other because that’s how this pandemic has been thus far - a contrast. Happy to be home with family but sad because of all the unknowns. I used cotton velvet to bead on, and lined the mask with cotton calico fabric. Satin ribbon was also used around the edging as well as for ties. Miyuki seed beads in size 11 & 15 were used And other various beads for embellishment. I am a Mohawk from the First Nations territory of Kahnawà:ke in Quebec. My style is Iroquois (Mohawk) raised beadwork.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Jennifer Curran

Passion Flower

Wool, yarn, sari silk, beads, metalic embroidery thread, cotton canvas

12cm x 23cm x 0.5cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement My hooked mask is a passion flower which is used to alleviate anxiety. There is also a representation of snails for patience. Turquoise, on the colour wheel, fits between green and blue - radiating the peace and tranquility of blue and the balance and growth of green. The design represents my thoughts and needs during this time. Rug hooking is both an art and a craft -- craft being a 'useful' piece of art. This mask certainly fits that definition. The piece is made by pulling loops of fabric (cut into strips) or yarn through a woven backing using a hook. For this piece I wanted to use only material I had in my stash-- the backing, the wool, and the yarn were all left over from previous projects. The Passion flower is hooked in a fine shading technique, with strips of wool fabric in 6 values of pink and of green. It was embellished with beads and silver metallic embroidery thread. The snails were created using yarn that matched the wool fabric used for the background. The ties, made with sari silk, were machine stitch around the mask before hooking, and then hand-stitched over the light cotton canvas lining. I am a Canadian rug hooker with Canadian teaching certification from the Ontario Hooking Craft Guild and American certification from the National Guild of the Pearl McGown Hookrafters.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

France Poliquin

Standing in Line

Commercial deer hide, beads

25.5cm x 16cm x 12cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement Standing in Line Third world war is declared and we are all at war against a Virus. It’s a Pandemic, which is what, what does that mean really. I start knitting to past the time, I read books, but this is not feeding my soul. I am watching the news, not understanding what is this all about. The first time I am expose to something similar is when I am in my early 20s and I teach in Constant Lake treaty no 9. Hepatitis C is among the children and the adults are scared. At the time the Federal Government runs the school and we are lucky since they send a group of two nurses that check each child. We are asked to get the vaccine for Hepatitis C I refuse I just don’t believe in it. I was learning bead working then and I remember that this practice had filled my soul while I did get sick with rheumatism fever, which is in the same family as Hepatitis C; I did beading to get my soul filled with colours and create different small beading projects. Now I am 67 years old all these memories come back to me and I am asking myself how did I deal with the situation almost 50 years ago. I start observing the people around me what is going on, the halls are empty we are not allowed to go to our common activity room, the door is wrap with a yellow ribbon boned with danger. At the beginning you are sort of paranoid about meeting someone in the hallway, especially a stranger. The only strangers coming in our 60 and up social housing are Home Care workers visiting three out of 31 persons twice or three times a day. I am watching these strangers with a critical eye what if, what if, what if? Why are they always different? After two weeks I am out of fresh produces, ok, now how are we suppose to get those if we are not suppose to go out? Ok I hear on the news that if we must go out shopping to do so early in the morning. To my surprise when I get to the grocery store there is a line up of white hair mostly women. We all have a worried face, some have a mask and some do not, but we are all in line waiting being patient. This makes me nervous because we do not know what this virus is all about. Are we lining up to get the virus, are we lining up to die? Is the virus here, right here creping up my pants or my sleeves where is it? In my hair, on my hands or on my shoes I pray to Mother Earth to help me cope with this enemy, this invisible enemy. April 07 Paula 85 years old passes away Covid 19. April 10 Judith 77 years old passes away Covid 19 April 15 Monique 79 catches Covid 19 is very sick I have to do something with my hands to keep them busy so I do not get scared and panic. Tout va bien allé, it will be fine. Beading, yes I have to start a project. I made some cloth masks for my brother and his partner and I sold a few at the residence where I live, but I must be part of something to help me cope with this Pandemic. I discover BREATH on CBC Indigenous but it is a close group and quite difficult to find. There is so much happening about breathing; I have asthma, this black man dyes because he cannot breathe. Wearing the mask keep me from breathing properly, I will survive this craziness. The Mask: I decided to make a mask that tells a story of three women of different nationality who wait in line since everywhere they go there is a line up. This is quite sad to see all these older people waiting in line for their meals, to take their weight and for their medication and to finally to pass. The colours I have use for the beading project is very symbolic to me. Pink that represents friendship, affection, harmony, inner peace, and approachability. My ladies are surrounded by the colour green, which symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. And to finished we have the colour blue that symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Brenda Davidson

My girl

Melton wool, beads, embroidery thread, birch bark, moose hide, cotton fabric

26.5cm x 18cm x 0.5cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement I made this mask for my daughter. I chose the wild rose for it embodies strength, resilience and healing. They were my mother's favourite flower, as well as mine and now my daughters too. The rose petals and rose hips are very medicinal and I harvest the rose hips every year. Julia and I bonded over many cups of rose hip tea in her Great Gramma’s tea cups while we stayed safe at home. I wanted to make a mask that would symbolize hope and healing…physically, emotionally and mentally. As I was making the mask I thought a lot about how fortunate we were that our family had been able to remain healthy and safe and felt deeply for all those who were not so fortunate, who had lost loved ones, been separated from their families, and those who had died alone. I learned to bead just over two years ago when I was fortunate to meet a wonderful artist named Cynthia Boehm who is so open to sharing her knowledge and ensuring this beautiful art form is not lost to future generations. I have been so blessed to reclaim this piece of my culture that was lost over the generations and so happy that I can pass it on to my daughter. I would also like to acknowledge Cree Artist Pat Bruderer (Halfmoon Woman), Carrier of the traditional art of Birch Bark Biting, who so generously shared her knowledge with me and taught me about Birch Bark Biting. While I did not learn the art of silk embroidery my Mother and Grandmother were so talented at, they were with me as I made this mask. My Grandmother left my Mother (her Daughter in Law) her sewing basket when she passed away and when my Mother passed, my Dad gave it to me. It contained my Grandmother's embroidery needle and I used it to finish my mask with the blanket stitch.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Marlene Kelly

My okomaw

Cotton, faux suede, embroidery, deer tan leather, ermine tails, deer antler, beads, dentalium

124cm x 18cm x 16cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement Tansi, I am 4th generation Cree-Metis beadwork artist. My ancestral home is Ft. Chipewyan & Ft. MacMurray AB. I am privileged to live in the unceded territory of the K’omoks First Nation. My okômâw talks to me in my dreams. She speaks of medicines, life lessons, cultural ways, ceremony and gives advice when I pray for guidance. I was only in my 20’s when my okômâw first visited me in a dream. We sat beading in front of her tipi on a warm summer evening, the golden prairie grasses blowing in a light breeze. She spoke in Cree. At that time in my life I did not understand our language. For my benefit, her words were translated through subtitles in English. A feeling of enlightenment and pure love brightened in me as I woke from what would be the first of many dreams to come. During the isolation of this pandemic, I had many quiet hours to sit and reflect on my life; my family, my achievements, my failures…. All the good things I have in my life. My mask was created through guidance from my okômâw. “Tell your story”, she said, “You are enough. Show all you are thankful for, all you have been through and have overcome”. This is my story….. The fabric for my mask was pieces of fabric I had left over from my drum bag. I drum and sing with my sacred sisters. My love for them is unconditional and I am very humbled and proud to have each one in my life. The cotton lining inside is patterned with a Metis sash design. The ribbons not only symbolize the colours given to me after my naming ceremony but also the ribbons used on the colourful skirts and shirt that are prominent in our rich Metis heritage. The fire in the middle the first spark and fire that lives within every one of us. The sun and the moon remind me that there is always something to be thankful for at the end of the day and what a blessing it is to wake with the each new dawn. The two blonde women sitting in regalia facing each other represent the young woman I was and the kokum I am today. They symbolize my earth journey through the colonial world and the aboriginal community. A Cree Metis woman with Irish ancestry searching for acceptance on a path of oppression from both worlds. There was a dark time in my life where my life light was almost extinguished voluntarily. The white swan-wing fan was gifted to me the same night my life would have been forfeited. I am humbled and blessed Creator had other plans for me and trusted me with swan medicine. The smudge bowl holds the sage and sweetgrass I use for smudging and thanking Creator for my life. My daughters are represented by the fox and the rabbit. My first born daughter, the fox, brought me the medicine of awareness. I was enlightened to the joys and tears of motherhood. I began to understand what my own mom meant when she said, “you won’t understand until you have children of your own.” She also taught me about being the protector of my family. There still isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my girls. My youngest daughter, the rabbit, taught me to turn my fearful attitude into courage as she fought and beat cancer in her teenage years. I learned not to let myself be overcome by fear over the things that were beyond my control. Cree originated from the stars; we are the Star People.The Seven Sisters star constellation acknowledges my Cree ancestry. All my relatives and ancestors watch and guide me from there. I am here to learn, lowered down on grandmother spider’s web. I will return to the Seven Sisters to sit among my relatives again. The green star in the constellation is in remembrance of my dad. He crossed over in 2018. The green represents our proud Irish ancestry on his side. The hummingbird is my mom. She taught me from a young age how to care for others and how to care for myself. She taught me that sometimes life can stop you dead in your track but you can still make the most of your circumstances by taking a step back, going forward, getting fired up or calming down. Lastly, the bottom of the mask has many semi precious stones sewn on. These represent the good red road I try to walk as humbly and softly as I can. I have always said to myself, You are going to be an ancestor someday, what will be your contribution?” This is mine.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Joely BigEagle-Kequahtooway

Buffalo, Resilience, Breathe

Buffalo parfleche, sinew, ribbon, acrylic paint, buffalo leather

11" x 7" x 5"

Collection of artist

Artist Statement I am a multi-disciplinary artist and I created this mask from buffalo parfleche. My husband, Lorne and I work with buffalo hides to create parfleche and robes. I painted my version of crocuses and buffaloes. I stitched the two parfleche pieces together using red sinew and ribbon. The inside of the mask is lined with red buffalo leather. Maria Linklater shared a story about how when a baby buffalo is born a crocus sprouts up in the spot where the baby buffalo belly button drops. I love this story and incorporate crocuses with my buffalo whenever I can. I love using red because it reminds me of strong, resilient Indigenous women and it is associated with passion and fire. Joely BigEagle-Kequahtooway, Nakota/Cree/Saulteaux from the White Bear First Nations in SK.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Janice Patton

Rainbow (After the Storm)

9" x 4.5" x 2.6"

Collection of artist

Artist Statement I’ve always been in awe with the art of beading. Beadwork is considered old form of artwork and has taken on a revitalization in the past few years. I was taught the art of beadwork from my sister in law and a friend of mine approximately 10 yrs ago. After seeing all the beautiful masks that people created on Facebook and Instagram. I felt compelled to create my own mask. I am a nurse and have been taking care of the people in my community for more than 26yrs After the Pandemic hit, everything changed, we now live in a different world where the mask has taken on a new meaning. The mask has become part of our everyday life both at work and leisure. I chose the colours of the rainbow for my mask because a rainbow after a storm(Covid19) brings calming winds, beautiful blue skies and the sun , which to me means a renewed humanity, that there will be days ahead ,that there will be a vaccine in the future BUT until then this is our new normal.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Terre Chartrand

An Appeal to Mishibijiw

Copper

24cm x 15cm x 8cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement Copper has long been known by the Anishinaabe as an antimicrobial metal. In just a couple hours, it kills all virus including COVID-19. This mask started as a tribute to this ancestral knowledge. It's ornamental, it doesn't seal so it isn't a practical mask but saw it's creation to honour copper and all of its sacred and healing properties. As it was being shaped and wrought from the metal the form became unmistakably similar to panther or lynx like face. My lack of access to tools forced the devising of its form through process. The copper was annealed on my charcoal grill and pounded with an average ball peen hammer. Because I didn't possess the necessary tools to solder copper, and access scant and difficult due to shut downs, I punched holes to attach the wrap around wires that hold the mask to my face. The panther like appearance completely emerged and I saw what I recognised as Mishibijiw, the underwater panther. Mishibijiw is a great spirit of the Anishinaabe of Great Lakes, bringer of death and destruction, guardian of copper but also bringer of great medicine. Mishibijiw can live in any waterway: the large lakes, especially Huron and Superior where there are troves of copper, but also in small lakes and rivers. Offerings are given for safe passage and the removal of copper. But as a cat like being, Mishibijiw makes his own decisions of who lives and who dies through his own capricious interventions. So I finished the mask with horns woven with wire and whiskers of the same material. It's called An Appeal to Mishibijiw and it's an appeal for safe passage through these times and a show of gratitude for the material used, copper.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Don Kwan

Chinese Takeout Menu Mask

Chinese take out menus, thread, glue

40cm x 22cm x 15cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement I am in Ottawa based interdisciplinary artist with a studio in the Ottawa Valley. My work examines identity and memory using mixed media, found objects, sourced personal text and images. This collection of work is my response as an isolated artist during this time of COVID-19 and the global pandemic crisis. The work explores ideas of isolation, racism, fear, grief, transformation, protection, health, safety and community.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Margaret Semple

For Annick

Melton cloth, beads, wool, cotton lining

9cm x 6cm x 1.5cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement I have entitled this mask « For Annick » in honour of my almost one year old granddaughter whose mother is of French Métis heritage and whose father is of mostly British Isles heritage. I have done embroidery for almost 50 years, although it has been a while since I worked with wool. I learnt how to bead in the 70’s but didn’t really bead until about 5 years ago when I went to my first workshop with Lisa Shepherd. The mask represents both of Annick’s heritage joined together. Done on Melton cloth, the right side is beaded with #11 seed beads and the left side is embroidered with different types of wool. I was in BC visiting with my mother when the pandemic hit and borders closed so all of the wool and some of the beads are what friends here gave me to help. A wonderful example of how friends and community will help each other when the need arises.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Amanda Hageman (Burke)

Dandelion

Faux suede, ribbon, beads, thread

25cm x 18cm x 7cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement The dandelion is considered by many to be a plain, ordinary, and entirely unimpressive weed, but it is far from fragile. Its incredibly hard to remove due to it's powerful roots. Dandelions can endure almost any living condition. They are a survivor that overcomes every hardship, challenge, and difficulty, to grow almost anywhere. Dandelions are used to treat many illnesses and are a symbol of healing- from emotional as well as physical wounds. To many, and myself personally, they've also always represented hopes, and dreams, and aspirations for a brighter tomorrow. Children close their eyes, blow on dandelion fluff, and make their wish. I chose dandelions growing out of a crack in the concrete, with one of the flowers gone to seed and carrying on the wind hopes and wishes for a better future. Alberta, Canada

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Eliza Firth

Delta Rose

Deer hide, silk, moose hair, beads, porcupine quills, silver infinity symbol, cotton lining

43.5cm x 18cm x 8cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement I hand-made this tanned hide mask adorned with embroidered and tufted flowers, beads and a silver tribute to my Metis heritage. The ear hangings, made of porcupine quills, have colours representing solidarity with all peoples.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Adrienne Assinewai

Ombaashi (She Is Lifted By the Wind)

Wool, shell, porcupine quill, glass beads, leather

38cm x 18cm x 1cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement I chose to create my piece out of wool for its versatility, durability, and naturalness. This medium is one I use often but I wanted to explore preparing it in a different way. I wanted this uncertainty and newness to accompany me while making this mask as it is something most of us felt when faced with the new reality that the Pandemic brought to us. I decided to showcase our delicate but resilient and beautiful first family members on my mask to celebrate our interconnections during this time of distancing. For me they also represent that wish for the return to normalcy and the outside world when the shut-down first began and everyone began tucking away inside their homes. I included the sun at the front of my mask not only because it serves as a mimic in shape to the filtered portion of a medical grade mask but also because as a life giving force I wanted that powerful sun to be out in front protecting the wearer. Finally, I incorporated blue jay feathers to help the wearer hear the vast mosaic of what is happening in the world and eagle feathers to help the wearer understand the truth in what they hear.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Beverly McNabb

Flying Geese and Morning Star

Fabric, ribbon, thread

29cm x 15cm x 1cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement Quilting is a traditional art form in my family history. Both grandmothers were settler Canadians who were skilled in sewing techniques and produced beautiful quilts as part of their creative repertoire. Mom’s mom embroidered beautifully, and Dad’s mom, my Oma, cross-stitched many quilt tops for her own home use and as lovingly made gifts. Oma, who after emigrating to Canada and learning to sew as an adult, became a professional seamstress, and from her I learned both the art of pressing and sewing. I chose to use vintage materials that would be traditional for a baby quilt, both in colour and scale. This mask is made from a quilt square originally created for a baby quilt, to lovingly swaddle a newborn. The square has been repurposed now to offer loving protection from the virus that has been ravaging the world. The flying geese design represents the Canada Goose, a creature we’ve encountered daily this spring whose babies we have enjoyed watching grow. The star design recalls the moving Morning Star quilt in the recent Call to Action #83:Round Two art exhibit. The satin ribbon which would secure the mask recalls the satin edging on blankets that have tucked children into bed for generations. The reverse side includes a pocket opening that allows the insertion of a third layer of virus protection if needed. I am grateful for the opportunity to create this art piece. It has given me purpose and meaning in this unprecedented time. To be part of this online community of artists creatively responding to the pandemic has been a blessing. It has been a way to honour the strength, resilience and creativity of my grandmothers and given me the priviledge of appreciating the heritage and resilience of my Canadian sisters and brothers.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Jean Marc Raymond

Fiddleheads

Embroidery, felt, ribbon

20cm x 15cm x 5cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement As a painter, I typically I don’t work on embroidery projects. Breathe. was the inspiration to start work on a mask that drew on my interpretation of all that was happening with the pandemic. What hasn’t changed in my art making practice is that I let myself be inspired by stories and histories. My mask is inspired by stories that were shared with me by my family. I remember learning about how fiddleheads were used to clean out the body after a long winter. Flash forward a few decades, I was working in the garden, transplanting some ferns and I was really interested in the root system and thought it was so beautiful. This immediately transported me back to learning about the powers of this plant and how connecting with the fiddleheads connects me to my heritage and my ancestors. By honouring the cleansing properties of the young fern, I’m embracing the aspect of renewal in this pandemic, choosing to focus on the earth trying to heal herself.

Photo credit: Nathalie Bertin

Joeann Argue

Breathe: a mask for pandemic times

Broad cloth, embroidery floss, beads, wire, ribbon

21cm x 18cm x 12cm

Collection of artist

Artist Statement Having survived, so far, the three Cs - cancer, cardiac, and now covid-19 - I have been thought a lot about breathing. I've been thinking about how often I have to tell myself to breathe through anxiety and how, in these pandemic days, we have to worry about doing just that. The green represents that good clean air we breathe in, but even that comes with tiny bits of danger - the pale green beads close to the mouth. Having had covid-19, I am aware of how much my own breath could be a danger to others - the red beads in the breath. Yet through it all, we still have to breathe.