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Atlantic-based Indigenous artists among emerging talent at Toronto Outdoor Art Fair

Mi'kmaw beader Melcolm Beaulieu and Inuk photographer Katelyn Jacque are being featured in a spotlight on six emerging artists from Atlantic Canada at this year's Toronto Outdoor Art Fair.

Inuk photographer Katelyn Jacque tries 'to capture the beauty of the land'

Sis'moqon · CBC News ·
Woman with traditional drum in snow
This is one of the photos that Katelyn Jacque is showing at the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, from an untitled series that she says represents 'a feeling of loss and disconnect from culture and tradition.' The photo was taken in Postville, Labrador. (Katelyn Jacque)

Toronto's Outdoor Art Fair is back and this year it's showcasing six emerging artists from Atlantic Canada in a special spotlight titled The Land and the Sea Bind Us.

Two Indigenous artists, Katelyn Jacque and Melcolm Beaulieu, are part of this spotlight on Atlantic Canada. 

Now in its 64th year, the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair is billed as Canada's largest and longest running outdoor art fair. Held outside City Hall at Nathan Phillips Square, the free public event features work from over 400 artists and draws crowds of about 170,000 each year. 

For Katelyn Jacque, it's not only her first time at the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, but her first time at any art fair.

People walking at outdoor market.
The Toronto Outdoor Art Fair is in its 64th year and will feature over 400 artists this weekend. (Toronto Outdoor Art Fair)

"I feel very grateful to be able to come out here," she said.

"I know it's a really big opportunity."

Jacque, an Inuk photographer from Postville, Labrador, said her work is influenced by her culture and her connection to the land and her community. 

Boats on snowy bank
This photo, also taken in Postville, Labrador, is of Jacque's Pop's old fishing boat and some local speedboats stored on the beach for the winter. (Katelyn Jacque)

"My art ... is a way for me to show the way that I see the world to other people," said Jacque.

"I try to capture the beauty of the land. I brought a variety of my work so that people can get the full picture of my art and hopefully people resonate with it and enjoy it."

She said she's most looking forward to the opportunity to connect with other artists, but also hopes to sell a couple of her prints.

A frame with a beaded image, with a blue hue, of two smiling women.
Pictured is a beadwork piece from Melcolm Beaulieu. It is a beaded image of Beaulieu's great-grandmother, Mary Peter-Paul, left, and grandmother Loraine Gourley. (Submitted by Mel Beaulieu)

Melcolm Beaulieu, who is Mi'kmaw from Metepenagiag First Nation in New Brunswick, is also being featured in the spotlight on Atlantic Canada.

Beaulieu is a multidisciplinary artist, well known for their beadwork. Their work explores gender and identity and focuses on Mi'kmaw culture.

Joining Jacque and Beaulieu in The Land and the Sea Bind Us showcase are artists Luanne Dominix, Clara Clayton Gough, Nasim Makaremi Nei, and Mélanie Paulin.

The Toronto Outdoor Art Fair begins Friday and runs till Sunday.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sis'moqon

Journalist

Sis'moqon is a Mi'kmaw woman from Ugpi'ganjig First Nation. She is a reporter with CBC Indigenous. She currently resides in Kjipuktuk, also known as Halifax. You can email her at sis.moqon@cbc.ca with story ideas.

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