May 23rd to 25th | 8:00pm-9:00pm
What are the possibilities for Mi’kma’ki?
In this dynamic, multi-disciplinary installation-performance, indigenous and black artists dream, hope and create a different way forward for this land. The artists individually and collectively articulate their visions through a provocative sharing of film, visual art, music, word and dance. Hope and Fire invites people of all ages to immerse themselves in the most pressing questions facing our collective existence on this land.
The Mi’kma’ki 2030 Collective:
Sarah Brooks is a Textile Artist and Craftsperson. Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Sarah is inspired by natural elements deriving from the landscapes that surround her within Mi’kma’ki. Always working with her hands, Sarah chooses to work creatively in as many tactile building ways as possible and is constantly looking at and exploring different avenues through materials, mediums and methods, using fabrics, colours and textures, weaving, sewing, dyeing and screenprint. Sarah continues to build upon her skills and methods and concept ideologies through her studies at NSCAD University, majoring in the Textiles field with a Minor in Art History and deep interest in Indigenous Studies.
Catherine Martin is a Mi’kmaq person of the Millbrook community in Truro, Nova Scotia. Catherine’s professional and academic interests have been influenced and driven by her passion for the lives and stories of Aboriginal women. As an independent filmmaker, director, and writer, Catherine’s repertoire of work includes the animation film Little Boy Who Lived with Muini’skw (2004), and Spirit Wind (2000). In 2006, Catherine added the NFB online documentary Bringing Annie Mae Home to her accomplishments. Fittingly, Catherine’s contributions to film, television, and digital media in Atlantic Canada were recognized in March 2015 with a WAVE Award from Women in Film and Television Atlantic. Catherine has acted as the past Chairperson of the Board of Directors for Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, and as the past Chair of the Society for Canadian Artists of Native Ancestry.
Cynthia Martin’s ultimate desire is to celebrate the beauty of nature, believing it is a gift of peace, joy and healing from the Spirit of Grace, Glory and Renewal. She is inspired by the indigenous beauty of Nova Scotia and hopes to reflect it in her work as a Mi’kmaq textile and ceramic artist. Cynthia is a member of the Mi’kmaq First Nation of Millbrook. She has a BFA from NSCAD, and is currently enrolled in their Visual Arts Certificate Program.
Bria C. Miller was born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Bria is a Queer, Black, Indigenous mixed media visual artist, arts educator, musician, graphic and community facilitator. She participated in Bridging Bus, connecting with the Washington, DC chapter of Black Lives Matter and Black Youth Project in 2016. In April of 2018, she participated in Emergent Strategy Immersion training with Adrienne Maree Brown, a Black femme author and social justice facilitator in Detroit. These international relationships continue to strengthen and build Bria’s capacity to organize, which in turn allow her to improve how she offers various art programs or events in Halifax. Through her dedication to building equity and relationships in community, she is working to create spaces where racialized and LGBTQIAP+ artists can be centered.
Tayla Fern Paul is a Mi’kmaq artist, activist and metal fabricator currently living in Eskasoni, Unama’ki. A member of Pictou Landing First Nation, she grew up in Kjipuktuk (Halifax). She has a painting at the Dalhousie Weldon Law building, a relief clay tile currently on display at the Museum of Natural History, is currently finishing a steel and copper tree sculpture for Eel River Bar First Nation, and is teaching art on reserves in Cape Breton. Born in Kjipuktuk and raised in Wolfville, Tayla returned to Kjipuktuk after traveling as a youth to remain on homeland. Tayla has also done public speaking on issues of social and environmental justice. She has four children, and is the daughter of artist Leonard Paul.
Liliona Quarmyne is a dancer, actor, singer, community organizer, and activist committed to progressive social change. Her eclectic background and experiences have taken her through many performance styles on four different continents. She choreographs and dances across Canada and internationally, creates and performs original works as an independent artist, facilitates community programming, is the Artistic Director of Kinetic Studio, and works as the Community Catalyst at Mocean Dance. Liliona sees her body as a link to past and to future generations. Her scope of work is broad, but is particularly focused on the relationship between art and social justice, on the body’s ability to carry ancestral memory, and on the role the performing arts can play in creating change.
Sign language interpretation will be provided during the May 24th presentation.
