Telling Our Stories: Pokaiks Reconciliation Society
We are excited to welcome back Pokaiks Reconciliation Society (formerly CIF Reconciliation Society) who did a residency in September 2023!
MEET THE ARTISTS: Thurs-Sat 11am-6pm
The Telling Our Stories Indigenous Arts Residency brings together six Indigenous artists of various artistic disciplines and communities all creating works on the theme of ‘telling our stories’.
Come see these six incredible artists during the residency at Sparrow Artspace this winter as they display their works, lead workshops and artist talks, and tell their stories!
Darby Havrelock (she/they)
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Darby is traditionally from Treaty 6 territory and is a member of Saddle Lake Cree Nation with mixed European lineage. She first fell in love with painting as a child and again as a young adult when her Cree mother asked her for a painting of a buffalo. Through this, Darby not only fell back into love with painting but also with the Buffalo, deeply connecting with this animal and their spirit. Through brushstrokes of acrylic paint, something much greater awoke within Darby. She has been on this journey ever since.
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Jess B Parker is a singer/songwriter and multidisciplinary artist from Calgary Alberta. She has been writing songs and performing from a young age as a singer/songwriter, and also working professionally in theatre. She worked and studied film and voice acting in Vancouver before returning to Alberta and has performed across Canada on various stages in multiple artistic disciplines. An Indie songstress, she is proud of her Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nations and Irish Canadian identity, coming from a long line of singers and storytellers before her.
Jess B Parker (she/her)
IG @jessbparker Website: jessbparker.com
Flora Johnson (she/her)
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Flora is a proud First Nation Indigenous artist who was born in Flin Flon Manitoba, Canada from the Mosakahiken Nation. She is a mother of three, grandmother of seven, sister, aunty, warrior, and most importantly a Spirit Holder. A survivor of the 60's scoop, she was adopted at a very young age and returned home to Canada some 20+ years ago.
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Jamie is a Métis traditional beadwork artist. Her practice includes traditional items and more modern work, and when she creates, she thinks about the stories she has been gifted by family and community. Working with traditional materials helps her stay connected to the past and reminds her that she is part of something bigger than herself.
Jamie Rozema-Stinson (she/her)
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V.J Sparvier-Wells is an Alberta-based Cree, multi-disciplinary artist. She is a member of Cowessess FN in SK. A classically trained flutist, she holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Calgary and an MFA in Contemporary Arts from Simon Fraser University. Vee currently resides in Cochrane, Alberta, and has worked for the City of Calgary as Curator of Indigenous Art. She is also co-founder and co-director of Wild Mint Arts, an Indigenous arts company, and is a Laureate of the Hnatyshyn Foundation REVEAL Indigenous Art Awards (2017).
Vee (She/her)
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Erin is a multidisciplinary Métis artist making beadwork, collages, and paintings in Mohkinstsis. Erin likes to think of herself as a riot grrrl with a beading needle, pair of scissors, glue, and a Bart Simpson “eat my shorts” attitude. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Film Studies, she now balances her art with her work as an educator.
Erin Rianna Shanks (she/her)