I’ll share my medicines | Jennifer Smith
Image Credit: pêyâhtik, 2025, Lynette La Fontaine
I’ll share my medicines
April 17th, 2025 to June 14th, 2025
Holly Aubichon, Claire Johnston, Lynette La Fontaine, Chanelle Lajoie, Val Vint
Organizi par/Curated by Jennifer Smith
Reception: Thursday, April 17th – 5-9 pm
Artist Talk: Saturday, April 19th – 1-3 pm
Livestream: https://youtube.com/live/FdCnACCiMxA?feature=share
Michif
Li rasyn di sage on iti dorman powr ayn kowp di mwaw ipi y sa komaws a spreadi en desowr la tayr powr komawsi a powsi dan la tayr, li grayn di tabaw son planti powr eyt swaygni ipi planti dohor kan la tayr y va rishowfi, L’sweetgrass y li prey a sorchir di la tayr li bor dju soleyl kan li jowrni sa grandji ipi li soleyl y res avek nozot plu lonten tot li jowr, L’cedar ki res vayr tot l’ivayr y pows di nowvel buds.
A travayr din cycle di sayzon ipi l’cycle di si kat michin sakri Holly Arbichon, Claire Johnston, Lynette La Fontaine, Chanelle Lajoie ipi Val Vint y lon pripawri lewr michin powr met en avan didan J’va shari ma michin. Ensenb, li zarchis y lon explori kosay li michin si powr uzot, kosay si gyrir, kalmi ipi sachisfayzan ipi komaw, kom ayn komunoti, on share not riches di not michin ent nozot dan li wayaj di si tayr.
Jennifer Lee Smith
Jennifer Lee Smith si ayn conservatris Michif di la Rivyayr Roj, in writer, ipi ayn administratewr d’awr dju Treaty 1 Territory/Winnipeg. Jennifer y la iti tolten interesi a no zensarvyr no min powr konti li zistwayr, a stowrni l’plu sowven l’bor di la kulchur materyel dju craft, son ovraj kom ayn administratewr d’awr y travayl avek di zarchis Otokton ki sa travayl dan l’Media Art tot li jowr, ki sa l’parmey di konprend a konti di zistwayr di proces slo di handmade ipi li lens di teknoloji.
Holly Aubichon
Holly Aubichon (Michif/Cree) y ichudji li sujey di l’indijeniti urbin ipi komaw la konaysans anseyt y l’aprosh li zotokton urbin par li memwayr, la tayr, ipi l’kor. Sa prachik y konsis di pinchuri, tattooing, beading, ikrir ipi kurasyon. Abichon y li ni ipi y la iti lvi a Regina, Saskatchewan. Sa parenti Otokton sa vyin di Green Lake ipi Lestock, Sk,
Dipu L’1 di jwiylet, 2021 kom in extensyon di sa prachik, y la parchisipi dan ayn tradjisyonel Otokton tattoo mentorship avek Stacey Fayant, o koti di Geanna Dunbar ipi Jayda Delorme. Tattooing kom ayn prachik powr Aubichin ki rikonay li sowvenir ki port li kor familyal, ipi ki divlop l’swin komunotayr par konsantri sur la girison ipi l’traytmen dju shagrin okoti di revitalis di metod di tattoo tradjisyonel.
Autichon sitay l’Archistik/ Administrachik Djirektewr powr Sakewewak Archis Koleksyon di 2021 a 2023. Daryayrmen, y la ritowrni a l’Universiti di Regina powr fayr son MFA a pinchuri, surveyi par David Garneau ipi Dr. Sherry Farrelln Racette.
Lynette La Fontaine
Muskwa mostos kesigok iskew si lewr non d’ispri, ki sa translate a owrs buflo dan l’syel fem. Y son fayt deni l’non Fransay Lynette La Fontaine par lewr paren, Richard La Fontaine ipi LeEtta La Fontaine (nee Poirier) kan ki son ni. Lewr payr ki li mor itay in Michif ipi lewr mayr itay ayn Fransayz/Irlandayz. Lynette si tin Two-Spirit Michif visuwel, teknik mixi, ipi in michif textile bispirichewel avek la parenti dan l’nor dju Saskatchewan, ipi a la Komunoti Michif istorik di la Rivyayr Roj. Di non di lewr famiyl son Lafontaine, Morin, Pruden, Vandal, Mirasty, Laliberte, LaVallee, Desjarlais, Hughes, Primeau, Laframboise, Ducept, Stevenson, etc. Y l’on grandji sur Dalkelh teritwayr tradjisyonel non sidi di la Stella’ten ipi astewr y sa rest dan la teritwayr T’Sou-ke. Y lon grandji a fayr la shas, a payshi, ipi harvesti, ipi a watchi lewr mayr a pinchuri, disini,ipi kowd. Y son montri uzot mem a beadi en 2007 kan ki lon volunteeri powr li Michif Elders. En 2016, Lynette y la komawsi in wayaj di mentorship formal powr aprend li form d’awr avek di knowledge holders ipi di Elders, ipi di beadwork, di whitefish scales, tufting, travalyi avek di fowrur ipi avek di porcupine quills, ipi hide tanning. Dipu si ten law, y lon resiprikoli mentored d’ot parson di manyayr formal ipi informal. Si l’engajmen di vi di Lynette a mintnyr li konaysans ipi li transmet o fuchur generasyon.
Chanelle Lajoie
Chanelle si t’ayn indjyen (Swampy Cree ipi Michif di la Rivyayr Roj) ni ipi lvi sur la teritwayr Treaty 1. Chanelle y la r’towrni di Tiohtia:ke ipi y la mergi li valewr di la komunoti avek lewr prachik kryachif ipi l’edjukasyon ligal.
Claire Johnston
Claire Johnston si ayn Michif di la Rivyayr Roj ipi ayn archis visuel ki travayl a Winnipeg/Treaty 1 Territory.
Kom in Two-Spirit Piitoshi-iteeyihtam (ayn ki pens djiferan), Claire y engaj ayn relasyon a fayr en sort ki li sent sa balans, l’lentmen, la koneksyon di la tayr, a twaymem ipi a kelkin sa parenti. In menb d’ikip avek li Projet di Restorasyon di l’Autisme dan L’Edjukasyon (Queen’s University), Lewr prachik d’awr sa sharsh a kapchuri li experyans ancestral ipi personal di djiferan kom dizerab ipi nesesayr, kontrasti avek la krwayans dju mond otistik ayan bizwin di r’med ipi di riparasyon.
Claire son artwork y la iti exhibiti a la Musee kantonal d’architek ipi l’istwayr (MCAH), (Lausanne, Switzerland 24’-25’). Rosemary Gallery (Winnipeg 24’). Tangled Arts (Toronto 22’ , 24’), Feschtival dju Voyajewr (Winnipeg 24’), Venice Biennale of Architecture (Venice 23) ipi l’ Bill Reid Gallery di Northwest Coast Art (Vancouver 22’). Y son in risipyan di 2025 di l’Venice Archecture Biennale Fellowship. Claire si in Sundancer, in bo-paren, ayn tant, ipi ayn sitwayan di MMF avek in membership dan l’Michif Bispirituel Local.
Val T. Vint
Val T. Vint ayn archis Michif, konseyv sur in trapline ipi ni a Winnipegosis, Manitoba, d’in background d’awr publik, photografi, li seramiks, li pinchur, engineering, design,l’tiyawt, performans d’awr, la muzik, wayaj, ipi travayl avek d’ot mond Otokton. Val sa prezent djireksyon si t’influwansi par son heritage, kar son genealogy y vyin d’archis ipi di zakchivis komunotayr konu tot o lon di l’istwayr dju Manitoba.
Sa plu gros akonplismen si si zenfan ki port en avan si zefor archistik ipi humanitayr o profi di not komunoti, ipi ki sa ilev lewr Zenfan, si Pchi Zenfan ki son fyayr d’eyt Michif ipi expresi saw dan lewr tiyawt, lewr awr, lewr sport, ipi lewr engajmen komunotayr ito.
English
The roots of sage have been dormant for the last few months and are now beginning to spread underground as they prepare to sprout through the soil, tobacco seeds are being planted to cared for to be planted outdoors once the soils warms, sweetgrass is ready to reach its way out of the soil towards the sun as the days lengthen and sun stays with us longer each day, cedar that remains green and steady through the winter months is now budding new growth.
Through a cycle of seasons and the cycle of these four sacred medicines Holly Aubichon, Claire Johnston, Lynette La Fontaine, Chanelle Lajoie and Val Vint have prepared their medicines to bring forward in I’ll share my medicines. Together, the artists have explored what medicines are to them, what is healing, soothing and fulfilling and how as a community we share the bounty of our medicines with each other on our journeys on these lands.
Jennifer Lee Smith
Jennifer Lee Smith is a Red River Métis curator, writer, and arts administrator from Treaty 1 Territory/Winnipeg. Jennifer’s interests have always been the use of our hands to tell stories, most often looking to material culture of craft, her work as an arts administrator she works with Indigenous artists working in Media Art on a daily basis, allowing her to understand storytelling both through the slow process of the handmade and lens of technology.
Holly Aubichon
Holly Aubichon(Métis/Cree) investigates topics of urban Indigeneity and how ancestral knowledge reaches urban Indigenous people through memories, land, and body. Her practice includes painting, tattooing, beading, writing and curation. Aubichon was born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan. Her Indigenous relations come from Green Lake and Lestock, SK.
Since July 1, 2021 as an extension of her practice, she has participated in a traditional Indigenous tattoo mentorship with Stacey Fayant, alongside Geanna Dunbar and Jayda Delorme. Tattooing as a practice for Aubichon acknowledges the memories that familial bodies carry, and develops community care focusing on healing and processing grief — alongside revivalists of traditional tattoo methods.
Aubichon was the Artistic/Administrative Director for Sâkêwêwak Artists’ Collective from 2021 to 2023. Recently, she has returned to the University of Regina to pursue her MFA in painting, supervised by David Garneau and Dr. Sherry Farrell Racette.
Lynette La Fontaine
Muskwa mostos kesigok iskew is their spirit name, which roughly translates as bear buffalo in the sky woman. They were given the French name Lynette La Fontaine by their parents, Richard La Fontaine and LeEtta La Fontaine (née Poirier) at birth. Their late dad was Métis and their mom is a French/ Irish settler. Lynette is a Two-Spirit Métis visual, mixed media, textile artist with roots in northern Saskatchewan, as well as the historic Métis community of the Red River settlement. Some of their Métis family names include Lafontaine, Morin, Pruden, Vandal, Mirasty, Laliberte, LaVallee, Desjarlais, Hughes, Primeau, Laframboise, Ducept, Stevenson, and more. They grew up on the traditional, unceded Dakelh territory of the Stella’ten and now currently reside in the traditional T’Sou-ke territory. They grew up hunting, fishing, and harvesting, as well as watching their mom paint, draw, and sew. They taught themselves to bead in 2007 while volunteering with Métis Elders. In 2016, Lynette began a formal mentorship journey to learn Métis art forms with knowledge holders and Elders, including beadwork, whitefish scales, tufting, working with furs and porcupine quills, and hide tanning. Since then, they have reciprocally mentored others formally and informally. It is Lynette’s lifelong commitment to maintain the knowledge and pass on to future generations.
Chanelle Lajoie
Chanelle Lajoie is an Indigiqueer (Swampy Cree and Red River Metis) born and raised on Treaty 1 Territory. Chanelle recently returned from Tiohtià:ke and has been merging community values with their creative practice and legal education.
Claire Johnston
Claire Johnston is a Red River Métis and settler visual artist based in Winnipeg/Treaty 1 Territory. As a Two-Spirit Piitoshi-iteeyihtam (one who thinks differently), Claire engages in relational making that centres balance, slowness, and connection to the land, to oneself, and one’s kin. A team member with the ReStorying Autism in Education Project (Queen’s University), their art practice seeks to capture personal and ancestral experiences of difference as desirable and needed, contrasting widespread Western belief of autistic people as in need of remedy or fixing.
Claire’s artwork has been exhibited at Le Musée cantonal d’archéologie et d’histoire (MCAH), (Lausanne, Switzerland 24′-25′), Rosemary Gallery (Winnipeg 24’), Tangled Arts (Toronto 22’, 24’), Festival du Voyageur (Winnipeg 24’), Venice Biennale of Architecture (Venice 23’) and The Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art (Vancouver 22’). They are a 2025 recipient of the Venice Architecture Biennale Fellowship. Claire is a Sundancer, a step-parent, an Auntie, and an MMF citizen with membership in the Two-Spirit Michif Local.
Val T. Vint
Conceived on the trapline and born in Winnipegosis, Manitoba, Val T. Vint a Metis artist draws from a background of public art, photography, ceramics, painting, engineering, design, theatre, performance art, music, travel and work with other Indigenous peoples. Val’s present direction in influenced by her heritage, as her genealogy stems from community artists and activists known throughout Manitoba’s history. Her greatest accomplishments are her children who carry forward both artistic and humanitarian efforts to benefit our community, and who are raising their Children, her Grandchildren who are proud of their Métis heritage and express this through their theatrical, art, sport, and community involvement as well.