Welcome back to Iskotew: Our Circle; a blog post series in which we aim to bolster singular community members and their voices by asking them a question or two about themselves and their work.
This post marks the first of several in a special edition of Iskotew we call the Reflection Ceremony in which we interview a number of artists we collaborated with as a part of the ongoing creation process behind Lake of the Strangers called the Misewa Method.
The Misewa Method
“Misewa” is a teaching shared with us by Cree astronomer, Wilfred Buck. It refers to the many stories that our ancestors have woven into the stars to guide us on long journeys, offers life lessons, and remind us to dream of who we can be. These myths offered by our ancestors keep us company on the sweetgrass trail, reminding us of the immutable truths of life. He went on to explain that all of these myths and stories exist in a sea of stories that have yet to be created in our place and time. Misewa refers to our connection to all that was, all that is, and all that will be.
From that moment of learning, we spoke with many knowledge keepers and elders to try to find an existing way to make a new myth. We learned so much, and with the knowledge kindly shared with us, we created the Misewa Method.
The Misewa Method is a way to build community and do cultural work together. Beginning with the seed of a truth at the bottom of the wahkohtowin spiral, we start with one individual and we drive that seed up through all levels of interconnectedness (family, community, nation, all people, the natural world, and the spirit world), bringing along more people over time, and encouraging the truth to evolve as more eyes, hearts, and minds see the intricacies of the initial truth — ultimately ending with the story being fixed in the stars through ceremony as a new constellation.
We hope to use the act of creating new stories as an opportunity to create new medicine for the community. Lake of the Strangers is the first work to be developed using the Misewa Method and was driven upward through family to community with the Backstage Theatre run of the show and help from local artists.
We’re excited to introduce you to the artists, poets, and writers we came to work with and their creations inspired by Lake of the Strangers. To begin this journey in the best way we know how, we first spoke with the passionate and generous donor who made this collaboration possible: Maggie Mitchell.
With early memories of amazement in Canada’s art galleries transforming into an honours degree in Art History from the University of Toronto, Maggie is a long-time patron and devoted supporter of the arts and artists in Edmonton and beyond. Having had great experience as a curator and on the Board of Directors at the Art Gallery of Alberta, we were blown away to receive her donation to activate Edmonton’s artistic community alongside our first run of Lake of the Strangers back in February 2019.
Where did your love of art begin?
I have a very clear memory of being taken by my mother to the Art Gallery of Ontario (I grew up in Toronto) and it being quite an impactful experience. I would have been young, maybe eight or 10 years old, so pre-teen, and was so moved by seeing things I’d never seen before and experiencing things I’d never felt before, and knowing that this was of great interest to me.
The next big step forward was going to Europe after high school and spending a year over there living in Italy. I saw these magnificent works of art, many of which I didn’t know anything about at the time, other than the name behind the art like Michelangelo, I would never have seen one.
I remember being incredibly moved, often seeking out cathedrals and churches because of the beauty and solitude that I found there.
What struck me most was thinking about the magnificent ways that artisans and artists came together to create something so lasting, so beautiful, and so noble that said something about the human condition. After that, I went to study art and of course, had nothing but love and appreciation.
What was probably the most striking thing for me back then was more so the public works than the masterpieces; walking by things like beautiful facades of churches or sculptures that would be in the town square. Being in those churches I was most moved by the frescoes with a couple of my favourites having been painted by Piero della Francesca and Giotto–it’s those earlier works in the early 1400s that show the movement from the medieval to the humanity of the renaissance that I found very moving.
So that’s kind of where I cut my teeth. From there I went back to the University of Toronto to study art and then went onto the Art Gallery of Ontario for a time and finally came out to Edmonton to work at, the then Edmonton Art Gallery. I was working largely with contemporary artists by that stage and that was also very meaningful. I didn’t know a lot about contemporary art, I’d sort of finished studies up to about 1945, and so what I was learning about Alberta and Edmonton was very first hand back in the 80s. Around that time there was a great scene here of photographers, sculptors, and painters which made for a great learning period for me, getting to know their work.
Who or what taught you about the importance of giving to and supporting the community?
That’s an easy one to answer. It was John and Barbara Pool through their foundation that was largely aimed at supporting the arts. I was able to, through their mentorship, see how they took a very active role on boards and in their financial giving–they would come to things, they didn’t just give money, they participated by attending and having gatherings with artists. My understanding of the importance of giving was strengthened through our awareness of them and what they were doing and it was through our friendship with them that we learned about the Edmonton Community Foundation which is an amazing organization that we now have a family foundation with.
I see the money that’s pooled together creates more money and when it’s so professionally handled and invested in such meaningful ways you’re able to see the impact supporting the community can have.
In closing, I’d say John and Barbara Pool were our first mentors, and then, by extension, the Edmonton Community Foundation and the great support it gives to the community.
In your experience, why is the creation of stories or any artistic works important today?
Right, well, I’ve always been very struck with the power of art, stories, paintings, sculptures, videos, films, and plays, to reflect us our humanity and so often, that feeling that we’re not alone, that others have had the same experiences in life. I also think it’s our most noble endeavour, the power of art, to sometimes help us in difficult situations.
I remember seeing the monument to the 911 disaster in New York and thinking it’s only through something as powerful as this artwork that we can even allow ourselves to think about the horror of all that.
I find art so often bridges that gap between what we can’t even contemplate and finding a way to experience it–I find that, and the artists that create those kinds of works for us, very moving.
What is your vision for the future of Edmonton’s arts and artists?
It’s that the arts in this city would continue to flourish. One of the ways I think that might happen is if there were a foundation created, specifically for the arts, that would help with funding not only the major institutions but up and coming ones with new ideas and new programmes, similar to what Naheyawin is offering to the community. So a healthy foundation, one in which creativity is nurtured and valued that provides some source of income, whether that comes from the Edmonton Community Foundation, or a new arts foundation just for the arts.
Certainly, in my experience of the arts, things are changing hugely, the ways of expressing oneself are new and different and I would like to see that continue so that there’s no barrier to creativity and no ideas that aren’t valued and I think a foundation can help with that.
Something I always find myself repeating when people ask these kinds of questions is that I am passionate. I mean, I find that word gets bandied around quite a bit, but in my case, it applies very much to the arts because the arts have enriched mine and my husband’s lives so much. I can’t imagine living in a city that didn’t have wonderful storytellers, theatre, music, visual arts, and all sorts of alternatives. The enrichment that the arts bring to everyday life is very important to me and I wouldn’t ever want to live in a city that doesn’t have those things.
Over the next few months we’ll be publishing original creative works inspired by Lake of the Strangers and interviews with the artists that made them right here on our Medium–make sure to follow us so you don’t miss a post!
