image courtesy of Jesse Campbell
Tah'lum Indigenous Artist Collective Colouring Book
Artists:
Jesse Campbell
Brianna Bear
Dates:
Saturday, April 25, 2020, 12:00 pm
Coming April 2020, artists Jesse Campbell (Métis/Cree) and Brianna Dick (Songhees Nation) are collaborating on a language-learning colouring book to share words from their respective Michif and Lekwungen languages.
The purpose of this colouring book project is to create a new way to engage children and adults alike with Indigenous languages; namely, the Lekwungen language from the territory now known as Victoria, B.C. and the Michif language spoken by the Métis.
These languages were selected by the creators of this project to help provide a small window into their heritage. The images used for the colouring pages were created by Jesse Campbell (Métis/Cree) and Brianna Bear (Songhees Nation).
From Jesse:
“As emerging artists we are on a journey to reclaim our language and traditional art forms. The legacy of Colonialism has severely impacted our families, culture, and way of life for generations. This booklet is a small effort of reclamation and defiance. You may notice some language is missing from some pages. We are doing our best to learn these words and teach them, but there are still gaps in our knowledge. There are few fluent speakers remaining. As such, we encourage you all to pursue your own curiosity in finding some resources for learning our languages online.”
These designs are meant to be enjoyed by the community of all ages. Feel free to colour in the background as well and try your hand at filling in the shapes with designs. This booklet and the designs are not meant for reproduction or sale.
Download the PDF to print at home here.
How to get a hold of a physical copy:
Come by the gallery at one of the following dates. A staff person will be on-site to supervise colouring book pick-ups. The outside door will be left open and the books available in the foyer so folks can have a contact-free experience.
Thursday, April 23 from 12-3pm
Saturday, April 25 from 10am-1pm
Thursday, April 30 from 12-3pm
We are currently looking into other means of distribution to best reach young audiences—if you have a lead on reaching kids who would like to colour, please reach out to Eli at indigenouscurator [at ] openspace.ca.
If you want to copy a design but can’t access a printer, you can make that happen!
1. Remove the desired page from the booklet.
2. Tape the page to a window.
3. Place a blank sheet of paper over top and tape that to the window.
4. Trace the image on to the new piece of paper.
We would love to see your work! Colour in and share your creation with @jesc_art, @briannabearart, @openspacevic, and @tahlumiac on instagram.
To see more of Jesse’s work, check out www.campbellvisualarts.com
To see more of Brianna’s work, visit www.ko-fi.com/briannabearart
This project is brought to you through the generous contributions of Open Space Arts Society (design by Kara Stanton and Paolino Caputo) and Tah’lum Indigenous Artist Collective.
Links:
Jesse Campbell
Jesse Campbell is a Métis/Cree visual artist born and raised in traditional Lekwungen territories. He has been painting murals since 2010 and has worked on over a dozen projects throughout greater Victoria. Much of his work centers around visibility of First Nations people, histories, and the stories of the land. He was one of the original participants of the Indigenous Youth Arts Showcase at Open Space in 2013.
Brianna Bear
TEALIYE (ta-a-th-le-ut) is an Indigenous youth from the Songhees/ Lekwungen Nation in Victoria through her father’s side with roots to the Namgis Kwakwaka’wakw people in Alert Bay through her mother’s side. She is the oldest of eight siblings from four parents whose backgrounds are Lekwungen, Kwakwaka’wakw, Mowachaht/ Muchalaht & Nuu chah nulth. TEALIYE was brought up around her father’s territory of the Lekwungen people, learning many of the teachings from her grandfather Skip Dick and family members. Within the past six years she has taken on the role of Welcoming people to the territory and opening for events in the ways that her grandfather Skip Dick and her Uncle Bradley Dick have taught her. TEALIYE is a community knowledge keeper, an artists who has worked on murals, logo designs and more.