In Conversation with Filmmaker Jennifer Podemski

The Prince Edward County Arts Council presents a new Indigenous Voices series. I will be there giving a talk on December 8, 2022. More info below:

Join us for the official launch event of the Prince Edward County Arts Council's (County Arts') Indigenous Voices Series - In Conversation with Jennifer Podemski and Shelby Lisk: The Arts as a Platform for Indigenous Storytelling and Activism. We are so honoured to welcome these two esteemed artists for this crucial conversation. Please view their Artist Bios below.

Entry is free or by donation, with all proceeds going to Tsi Tyónnheht Onkwawén:na (TTO), a non-profit dedicated to revitalizing Mohawk language and culture in Tyendinaga. Please reserve your spot below. (Please note that a credit card processing fee and ticketing fee will be added to your donation amount.) We can also accept cash donations at the event. Macaulay Church Museum is located at 23 Church Street, Picton, Ontario, K0K 2T0.

The Indigenous Voices Series is funded by County Arts' newly established Indigenous Voices Fund, made possible through a $30,000 multi-year donation from a resident committed to advancing our community's truth and reconciliation efforts, and the inclusion of Indigenous voices. Learn more on our website.

Beads and Pieces - Exhibition announcement

Check out my piece "Still now here we are” on display this Fall 2022 and Winter 2023 on Sparks St. in downtown Ottawa.

Very grateful to have my artwork showing alongside two Anishnaabe artists that I greatly admire: Barry Ace and Nadia Myre.

The Art of Sovereignty, Episode 8: Bonnie Devine

Please check out episode 6 of The Art of Sovereignty:

Growing up, Bonnie Devine's grandfather warned her to stay away from the bright yellow piles of powder in her community of Serpent River Anishinabek Nation. Little did she know that those yellow triangles would turn up years later in her art practice as she explored natural resource extraction and Indigenous ways of knowing.
That curiosity, and a love for being Anishinaabe, led Devine to become the first tenured Indigenous professor at the Ontario College of Art and Design and the founding chair of the school's Indigenous Visual Cultural Program. Host Shelby Lisk speaks with Devine about her life, her work, and paving a path forward for future Indigenous artists.

https://www.tvo.org/podcasts/the-art-of-sovereignty

Portrait of artist Bonnie Devine at the McMichael Gallery. Photo by Shelby Lisk.

The Art of Sovereignty, Episode 6: Faye HeavyShield

Please check out episode 6 of The Art of Sovereignty:

What makes something Indigenous art? For Kainai artist Faye HeavyShield, Indigenous art is not just one thing. It is personal, and for HeavyShield, tied deeply to her story as a woman from the Blood reserve in Southern Alberta. Throughout her career, she has pushed her art into new realms, expressing the nuanced truths of her life. Host Shelby Lisk speaks with Faye HeavyShield about her life, her work, and individuality in art.

https://www.tvo.org/podcasts/the-art-of-sovereignty

Portrait of artist Faye HeavyShield in Toronto. Photo by Shelby Lisk.

"With beaded earrings, photographer Shelby Lisk renews ties with the women in her life" - Globe and Mail article

Nyá:wen to Rukhsar Ali for writing this thoughtful piece on my portrait series "Shé:kon se’onhwentsyà:ke ratinékere tsi nihá:ti nè:ne yesanorónhkhwa (There are still people in the world that love you)"

This work is on display at the Woodland Cultural Centre until August 14, as a part of the show "Sense of Belonging: A Place Called Home" with Rosalie Favell and Alex Jacobs-Blum

Read the Globe and Mail article here: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/art-and-architecture/article-shelby-lisk-photography-exhibition/

The Art of Sovereignty, Episode 4: Robert Houle

Please check out episode 4 of The Art of Sovereignty:

For Saulteaux artist Robert Houle, art has always been political. From the Indian Act to the Oka Crisis and more, Houle has spent his career using his art to address the injustices facing Indigenous communities. Host Shelby Lisk explores how Houle’s artwork emphasizes the importance of Land as a spiritual and political legacy for Indigenous peoples. She speaks with Shirley Madill, executive director of the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, and author of ‘Robert Houle: Life & Work.’

https://www.tvo.org/podcasts/the-art-of-sovereignty

Artist Robert Houle in front of his piece titled “Treaty No. 1” from “Premises for Self-Rule” which is discussed on the podcast episode AOS #4. Photo by Shelby Lisk. (For more information on this piece, please check out the book by Shirley Madill: https://www.aci-iac.ca/art-books/robert-houle/key-works/premises-for-self-rule-treaty-no-1/)

Radio interview about Art of Sovereignty podcast

Listen to Chris Beaver and I chat with Karl of One Dish, One Mic, about The Art of Sovereignty podcast

Listen here

The Art of Sovereignty, Episode 2: Daphne Odjig

This is a journalism career highlight for me: telling the story of the matriarch of Indigenous contemporary art - Daphne Odjig. Please check out episode 2 of The Art of Sovereignty:

Host Shelby Lisk speaks with Anishinaabe curator and artist Bonnie Devine about Daphne Odjig, the matriarch of contemporary Indigenous arts in Canada. Most well-known for painting family life, colonial history, and Anishinaabe legends, Odjig pushed back against what the art market demanded of her as an Indigenous artist - as she embraced her Potawatomi identity. She also fiercely supported other Indigenous artists, opening her own art gallery, and forming the Professional Native Indian Artists Inc.

"Sense of Belonging: A Place Called Home" Exhibition Announcement

June 3, 2022, (Brantford/Six Nations, ON): The Woodland Cultural Centre (WCC) is pleased to announce a new exhibition, Sense of Belonging: A Place Called Home. The exhibition features three contemporary Indigenous lens-based women artists whose artistic practice weaves painting, beadwork, photography to connect the notions of identity, family, community and land. Personal experiences as a modern woman narrate individual journeys through visual storytelling celebrating language, culture and history. Curated by WCC Curator, Patricia Deadman, the interconnectedness and inter-generational artworks are both inspiring and beautiful. The exhibition opens June 4 continues to August 13, 2022.

Screening Onhwéntsya táhnon Onkwawén:na / Aki miinawaa Gdi-nowendaaganag (Land and Language)

On June 15, we will be screening a film that Josh Lyon and I have been working on with the Kingston Indigenous Languages Nest about the relationship between Indigenous language learning and Land. Onhwéntsya táhnon Onkwawén:na / Aki miinawaa Gdi-nowendaaganag (Land and Language) follows the creation of the Indigenous Food Sovereignty Garden on Highway 15 and the urban Indigenous language learners who have come to connect with their languages (Anishinaabemowin and Kanyenkeha) on the land.

You can register for a free ticket here: https://skeletonparkartsfest.ca/the-festival/