Une Femme En Vaut Deux
2025 Art Project
"Une Femme En Vaut Deux" is a research-driven art project that revolves around bringing
mixed identity representation into predominantly white educational spaces. You can probably
imagine the typical "inspiring" photo of Einstein or Canadian map that decorates the walls of
our classrooms or libraries, these posters are meant to add to those influences in a meaningful,
factual and eye-catching way. In choosing topics, I considered my heritage, dual identity, and
themes that I personally would have liked to learn more about as a student.
I am donating posters to various organizations - please get in touch if you are interested!
Free Download! (JPEG .zip package)
Special thanks to the Ontario Arts Council Indigenous Arts Project Grant
1.1 Matrilineal Kinship
This piece highlights the warmth of women and being around kin. In the illustrations, several generations of women plan a buffalo hunt and share stories around a fire. Though the scene is imagined, I referenced traditional Metis housing, clothing (such as Kokum scarves) and decoration methods (such as the horseshoe, positioned to "keep the luck in!")
Sources
Quote 1 - Norman Spicer
from Stories of Metis Women: Tales My Kookum Told Me
by Bailey Oster & Marilyn Lizee
Quote 2 - Monica Cyr & Joyce Slater
from "Honouring the grandmothers through (re)membering, (re)learning, and (re)vitalizing Métis traditional foods and protocols"
1.2 The Flower Beadwork People
This piece's "beads" have been plotted one by one, outlining several techniques and facts about Metis beadwork. I love to think that the intricacy and spiritual meaning of certain shapes and symbols in these hand-crafted pieces bring them to life.
Sources
Characteristics of Metis Beadwork by Lawrence J. Barkwell
Beadwork as an Act of Resistance in "Reclaiming Power and Place" by the National Inquiry into MMIWG
1.3 Metis Food
The Metis have a traditional connection to the land, which is apparent in their hunting, gathering and preparation methods. This is a small collection of interesting stories and accounts. Two of the stories are personal, Ed and Tellie are my great-grandparents, and we are the "Sandison's"!
Sources
Quote 1 - Halfbreed by Maria Campbell
Quote 2 - Peter Skene Ogden: Fur Trader by Archie Binns
Quote 3 - "Une Femme En Vaut Deux" by Diane P. Payment
Quote 4 - L. Barkwell, A. Hourie, A. Acco, L. Dorion
Quote 5 - Reflections from Little Muddy Water
Quote 6 - Reflections from Little Muddy Water
1.4 A Lesson On Gratefulness
This piece is a visual story using a memory from my childhood. I remember my Obaachan saying the center quote to me, and as I got older, I realized what it truly meant. The quote and fact at the bottom give context to this war-time period for interned Japanese Canadians, and Japanese people in Japan.
Sources
Quote 1 & Fact - The Politics of Racism by Ann Gomer Sunahara
1.5
Heiwa/Peace
This is a second piece about Japanese Canadian Internment in Canada, specifically about living in the camps. The vertical words highlight the traditional way Japanese people deal with terrible events, "it is what it is" and "it cannot be helped". This is compared against the story of a young child that truly experienced life in an internment camp. The red "Heiwa", meaning peace, is not translated, prompting the viewer to quite literally ponder, "is peace a foreign word?"
Sources
Quote 1 - "The Japanese Canadians Who Were "Repatriated" To Japan Immediately After WWII, Their Experiences Revealed In Their Oral Histories And Their Contribution To Friendly Relations" by Iino Masako, Takamura Hirko,& Haraguchi Kunihiro