Apskwa’toq/Craftivism
2024, Unama’ki Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design, Sydney, Nova Scotia
Indigenous Curator, Kayla Rudderham states: “The title of the exhibition, APSKWA’TOQ, is a word that means “s/he changes it back” in the Mi’kmaw language. This word references the role of artists and craftspeople who use their creative practice to respond to environmental, political, and social issues. By creating dialogue around difficult subjects and inserting creativity into serious issues, such projects shed light on the work people are doing to effect change. The ability of craft and art to be accessible and to evoke emotion has been vital in showing people that their voice and creative practice have power.”
This is a tour of my work in the exhibition at Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design.
Exhibiton view
Bittern in situ
Bittern
Blackburnian Warbler bowl in situ
Earth Bowl in situ
Flowering Blanding's Turtle, collection, CB Centre for Craft & Design
Flowering Blanding's Turtle, top view
Forest Hare in situ
detail, Forest Hare
Gallery View, Craftivism
Craftivism Exhibition opening
Craftivism Exhibition-artists' panel
I like to work quietly and intuitively, reflecting my environment and love of the natural world. I am privileged to live in Mi’kma’ki, (Nova Scotia) a place rich in natural beauty which is under great threat. My pieces are tributes to the wildlife living here. I admire them and feel a kinship with them. The birds and animals around me are clever, beautiful, and very gentle.
My sculptures focus on the animal-human relationship by looking at Nova Scotian wildlife and the local implications of the environmental crisis. My chosen material is clay. There is a psychological and physical connection between the vulnerability and fragility of ceramics and that of the natural world. Clay comes from the Earth. It is earth itself, and the earth is my topic in the largest sense. In this way, there is a beautiful synchronicity between my topic and my medium.
