Co.Lab Gallery presents

AANIKOOBIDOON

STRINGING TOGETHER: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

OPENING FRIDAY FEBRUARY 9TH, 2024, 7-9 PM.

EXHIBITION CLOSES FEBRUARY 12TH, 2024.

Curated by Melissa Twance

Aanikoobidoon is the act of stringing things together. For generations, our Anishinaabeg ancestors have strung beads together, developing their own unique techniques, styles, and designs to adorn themselves and their loved ones. Aanikoobijiganag is the word we use to describe our ancestors and our descendants. It can be used to describe your great-parents and your great-grandchildren at the same time. They are the ones who tie things together. This concept embodies a past-present-future that is always connected and, therefore, accountable to one another. This exhibit considers the relationship between beads, our ancestor/descendants, and ourselves, bringing together 11 artists from First Nation communities across Northwestern Ontario,

including:

Meagan Anishinabie

Cher Chapman

Ocean Kiana

Justine Gustafson

Shannon Gustafson

Anna Fern Kakegamic

Mary Magiskan

Jean Marshall

Leanna Marshall

Nicole Richmond

Melissa Twance

Together, these artists bring that intergenerational connection to life through works that consider the question, “What does it mean to be a good ancestor?” Their answers are demonstrated through their skilled use of traditional techniques and materials, blended with 21 st century innovation and designs. The work of each of these artists stands as a testament to the traditions, knowledge, and skills passed on from our ancestors and leaves behind a legacy for those who are yet to come.

Curator Bio:

Melissa Twance is a beadwork-textile artist from Netmizaagamig Nishinaabek in the Robinson-Superior Treaty Area. She grew up in Thunder Bay, ON where she developed her practice, sitting around the kitchen table with her grandmother. Her work pays homage to the lands she calls home and traditional Anishinaabe iconography and textile traditions, adding her own 21 st century perspective to her designs, colours, and materials. She has exhibited her work in group exhibitions at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery and the Ontario Craft Council Gallery in Toronto, ON. Melissa is a PhD candidate in Education at Lakehead University. Her dissertation research examines the knowledge embedded in Anishinaabe bead, quill, and hide work, reflecting on the value of learning with and through creative land-based practices. She currently works as a Lecturer at the University of Winnipeg.

Exhibition made possible by the Ontario Arts Council.