Honouring Creation

In honour of Indigenous History Month, we have put together a collaborative show, entitled, “Honouring Creation,” as a celebration of “creation” as both a noun and a verb, and ultimately, the Creator Spirit who inspires us all. This exhibit, which will remain up through the summer of 2025, features the work of five diverse Indigenous artists in our midst: Cat Aldred (Cree/Métis artisan), Kerry Baisley (Métis artisan and wild crafter), Hubert Barton (Nisga’a photographer), Todd Giihlgiigaa (Haida cedar weaver), and Rikki Kooy (Secwepemc/St’atl’imc texile artist).

The exhibit is open during regular church hours, Tuesday-Friday, 9am to 4:30pm, and on Sundays between services. Some of the art in the exhibit is for sale–if you are interested in learning more, please speak with the church office.

From a young age, I loved animals of all shapes and sizes.  Being a shy, reserved child, I considered them my friends.  I had a special fondness for bugs.  My mom reminds me that when I was about 7 years old, I would bring ants home, wrapped in paper in my pocket and ask her for an empty margarine container to build a home for them. None survived, however I often wondered to myself, “who takes care of the little things?”.  I attribute a lot of this love of nature to my Indigenous heritage.  

In 2021, I found myself struggling significantly mentally, in large part due to Covid. It was then that I turned to my artwork to help myself cope. I had never experimented with Cree Indigenous style when painting before, and decided to give it a try.  Sloths were very popular at that time, and I had recently seen one in real life.  I thought, “what would a Cree style sloth look like?”.  My ancestors had no conception of exotic animals. In 2024, Indigenous artists have so much more to pull inspiration from. I wanted to think outside of the box.  And so, this series of animal paintings was born. My style takes cues from Cree, Metis and Ojibwe artists such as Ovid Bighetty, Jackie Traverse and Simone McLeod. All my animal paintings have 3 orbs in them, representing the Creator (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), and lines representing the interconnectedness of all things.

It was a love of Creation, my artwork, and divine intervention that brought me to a place of mental peace and stability.  Not all at once, but one mark, one brush stroke, one painting, one animal at a time.  It was my Indigenous identity that gave me the appreciation for the sacredness of all living things. In my culture, the appearance of animals in our lives has significant meaning. We respect the Animals like we would our own relatives.  They teach us lessons and guide us as we walk our paths.  Expressing the joy and movement of the animals I paint encourages me to seek that same joy in my own life. And so, my art has had a profound healing impact in my life and I hope to encourage others to turn to God’s creation for inspiration in their own healing journeys. 

Cat Aldred is a Cree and Metis artisan, scholar and aunty from Grande Prairie, AB, now living in Richmond, BC.  She has a Master’s Degree in Religious Studies and First Nations Bible translation from McGill University.  She enjoys trying to capture animals and their “joie de vivre” in her art.  Drawing inspiration from Cree, Metis and Ojibwe artists she is familiar with, she describes her style as “essentially Cree, with a hint of irony and a dash of whimsy.”  Her art has a theological bent, incorporating symbolism of the Creator and the spiritual interconnectedness of all of creation.  She has completed a number of commissions varying from portraiture, Illustration, murals and painted drums.  She also has a line of greeting cards featuring her animal paintings and their symbolic meanings which she sells at markets and events. Through her art, Cat hopes to promote awareness of Indigenous and mental health issues both locally and globally, and to empower the younger generation of Indigenous creatives and thinkers to recognize their inherent value and dream big.

If asked for a word, I would describe myself as “a maker.” 

Currently I am exploring ways of making offering bags that may be used to hold the gifts of Tobacco, Sweetgrass, Sage and Cedar for those giving thanks to Mother Earth for all she provides to us.

Kerry worked for over 35 years in social services and health care.

His Metis ancestry comes from his mother’s side of the family, Setters from the Orkney Islands and the Swampy Cree from what was then called the North-Western Territories by colonists.

Kerry began knitting in the 1980’s and it meandered into an exploration of art practices including beading, natural dyeing, felting, shibouri resist dyeing, kumihimo braiding and encaustic work.

Some may see this as exploration, others a lack of focus. Recently he has been exploring how these practices could be used in making offering bags.

I’ve always been curious about photography. As a child I used to play with my dad’s Canon SLR 35mm film camera. Then when I was 10 years old I received my first camera, it was a small Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles themed 110 film camera. Today I mainly shoot with a Fujifilm mirrorless camera. Whether it is night photography, capturing a cool sky line, or enjoying a nice sunset for the 1000th time, photography helps to still my anxious mind and allows me to connect with God’s beautiful creation.

Hubert Barton is a member of the Nisga’a Nation from the community of Gingolx located in the North Coast of British Columbia. He is from the Lax Gibuu clan and is the youngest of 4 brothers and 1 sister. Hubert grew up in his homelands of the Nass Valley and moved to the city of Vancouver in 2016 to study at the Vancouver School of Theology, where he graduated from the Indigenous Studies Program with a Master of Divinity degree. He now works as Coordinator of the Indigenous Studies Program and also occasionally engages in public speaking where he enjoys sharing the parallels he’s found between his Christian Faith and Nisga’a Culture. In his downtime Hubert enjoys both digital and analog photography with a main focus on land/cityscapes. In 2019 Hubert had the honor of having some of his long-exposure night photography photos on display in a digital art exhibit titled Flux at the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival.

My work is an intersection of using traditional weaving techniques and story, creating objects of beauty. I Use cedar bark weaving as my medium for expressing my Haida origins and values that I have learned from working with it. The stories express ways of restoring the male/female balance, where “Spider-woman” teaches people how to get along. Nothing is isolated, and weaving shows us the interconnectedness of all living things, both in spirit and physically.

The story of the first basket, teaches people that it is taboo to strike your relative, and how spider-woman taught a little girl how to weave her first basket. A story I tell at every workshop, and changing people’s minds how we Haida’s are perceived as both being warlike but also have a deep spiritual belief connecting them to the land and people. “To be kind, gentle and carin to our Sisters, the weaker, and the younger ones. To never bring them any harm or discomfort.”

My inspiration comes from a time when my life was falling apart, and I looked to the mountains and asked for help, “I’m human, I can’t do this alone.” And I was given a vision of the old woman of the forest, who gave me the gift to teach cedar bark weaving. Since then, I have sharing the teachings of the old woman of the forest as a part of every workshop, told as stories.

Tsuu, our sister, the cedar-tree, also called, long-life-maker, is a big part of the Haida culture. I share teachings from my now deceased uncle, gaagii Woodrow (Woody) Morrison, BA., JD., who tutored me in Haida History, Culture and Language until the day he died. The history shows how we learned ways of giving back, not wasting, respecting the gift. The cedar tree, gives us her wood so we can build houses, canoes; her bark for protection from the rainy and windy environment, and baskets to carry more food. Today I share with others how they can also use it in trade to sustain their life in today’s world economy.

Weaving with cedar bark and instructing other’s how to do the same, and sharing with everyone our traditional Haida Spiritual values, that are so often overlooked, that Grandmother Cedar teaches us, and how we can relate to all our relations is one of the main reasons I do this work. To learn about us and what it might have been like pre-colonial times.

Todd G̱íihlgiigaa (‘Heath-gee-ga’) is a Haida cedar bark weaver based in Vancouver.

Mastering traditional cedar bark weaving, making hats, baskets, and bracelets has played a strong role in Todd’s discovery of his cultural identity. He grew up separated from Haida culture but his journey back to it began Reuniting with his mother in 1996 and then a mysterious vision he had of the Old Woman of the Forest. Later, a Haida woman he met, by chance asked him to get her some cedar bark, a request which led him to the forest trail he had seen in his earlier vision and to the transformation of his relationship to trees, particularly his awareness of the Spirit of the Cedar.

Todd is primarily self-taught, but his weaving style has been impacted by some important teachers. His first teacher, Terry Russ of Masset, Haida Gwaii taught him how to process cedar bark. In 2005, he learned an important traditional Haida technique from Sherri Dick of Old Massett, Haida Gwaii, weaving his first Haida Hat. Five years later, Haida weaver Holly Churchill of Ketchikan introduced him to a few more signature Haida techniques and shared important cultural stories.

For the past 12 years, Todd has been sharing his skills through demonstrations, workshops, weaving circles and informal mentorships. He was artist in residence at the Maclean Field House from 2011 – 2015 and was an artist in residence at the Britannia Community Center 55+ Building from 2015 to 2023. His work has been exhibited at various community galleries and cultural events.

Todd’s focus is upon the practical use of his creations and the community building potential of this fine craft. His Mandate: Give everyone a cedar bark hat, by teaching them the skill of weaving their own.

I seek to create through a thoughtful and spirit-led practice. My hope is to bring healing through wisdom sharing, storytelling, and hands-on engagement in reconciliation through art. I am the designer of the Feather Dance reconciliation project, which is the work of hands extended in friendship, reaching out to each other as we walk the journey of faith together. Some of that work is part of this exhibit, as well as works of more everyday attire. I am heartened to be part of the bridge towards healing between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. For me love, honour, and respect – for myself and for others – are key values that I try to bring to everything I do. My art is an embodiment of creative connection. I am ever mindful that in the end, as in the beginning, it’s all about love and relationship.

Rikki Kooy an elder/artist/designer from the Secwepemc and St’atl’imc Nations and a third-generation residential school survivor. Her traditional name is Slex’lex Tcets’ Nux enx’ which translates to Spirit Elk Woman coming from her father’s Northern Secwepemc te Qelmucw people/ Shuswap people of the North. Her mother’s family was from the Li’liwat7ul Nation of Stat’lim’ex area.