Dear all,
I hope this message fids you and all of your post-IPinCH projects well.
I am reaching out you in relation to my work as a post-doc at the School of design at Université de Montréal. Since 2015, I have been part of a project called Tapiskwan. We work with Indigenous youth and artists from the Atikamekw Nation (Nation Atikamekw) in Upper Mauricie, Quebec.
This year, in order to shift the project from the university to the community, we created a non-profit, Indigenous-run, organization called the Tapiskwan Collective. As the team prepares to launch the collective, and to help fund our workshops, they have created a crowdfunding campaign:
There’s quite a bit of information on the campaign page, some of it translated into English (look for the text in italics, and the Indiegogo video has English subtitles). but if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
Every year, we run design workshops during which elders, artists, artisans and youth get together to create contemporary artworks and products that are inspired by Atikamekw cultural heritage.
In a nutshell, the goal is to nurture intergenerational cultural transmission, as well as to support youth as they explore their creative potential.
Also, the Indigenous art market in Québec is not nearly as developed as it is out in other parts of Canada, and it is saturated with the usual stereotyped products by non-Indigenous companies…. In the long run, our hope is that Tapiskwan will help change that.
For more background information, you can also check out this short documentary (with English subtitles) or follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tapiskwan/ or instagram: @tapiskwan_art_atikamekw
I hope you will consider supporting the project, whether it is by contributing to the campaign, or by sharing it in your circles, or both!
Thank you in advance!
Best wishes to all,
Solen
