Jackie Traverse

Jackie Traverse (born September 30, 1969) is an Indigenous (or Aboriginal) artist and activist from Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Jackie Traverse
Born (1969-09-30) September 30, 1969
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
EducationSchool of Fine Arts at the University of Manitoba
Known forPainter in acrylic, oil and mixed media, stop-motion animator

Biography

Traverse in an Anishinaabe, specifically Ojibwe, from Winnipeg, Manitoba. She spent her early years with her biological father living in Winnipeg, MB. Her father encouraged her early interest in art, buying her art supplies. Her early life was difficult growing up in Winnipeg's North End when her mother died at a young age and her siblings were apprehended in the Sixties Scoop.[1] Traverse draws inspiration in her art and activism from her experience growing up as an indigenous woman in one of Winnipeg's toughest neighbourhoods. She studied at the School of Fine Arts at the University of Manitoba and graduated in 2009.[2][3] Traverse is currently working out of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Artwork

Traverse is known for her acrylic/oil paintings and stop-motion animated films that feature indigenous women, the sacred feminine, motherhood, urban indigenous lifestyle and traditional native american spiritual themes, including the seven Grandfather teachings of the Anishinaabe. She has also created artwork for schools in Winnipeg to inspire and educate youth on indigenous culture and worldviews.

Traverse has displayed her paintings at The Wah-Sa Gallery[4] and The Winnipeg Art Gallery[5] in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

In 2009, Coca-Cola announced the Aboriginal Art Bottle Program as part of a mission to showcase indigenous art at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Out of hundreds of submissions from professional and amateur indigenous artists from across Canada, 15 sculptures were selected to be showcased across Canada and in Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics. Jackie Traverse's submission was selected and displayed across Canada and in Vancouver during the Olympics.[6][7] The 15 winning submissions were auctioned off with proceeds going to the Aboriginal Youth Legacy Fund.

On November 3, 2016, Traverse released a colouring book entitled Sacred Feminine: An Indigenous Art Colouring Book published by Fernwood Publishing.

She also create murals, including the mural entitled Sweet Grass (Wiingash), painted in 2017[8] who was also included in the billboard project Resilience,[9] curated by Lee-Ann Martin and produced by MAWA during Summer 2018.

Film

Traverse created three stop-motion animation films: Butterfly (2007), Two Scoops (2008) and Empty (2009).[10]

Two Scoops tells the story of a traumatizing moment in her childhood when she witnessed Manitoba's Child and Family Services apprehend her siblings as part of the Sixties Scoop. The film was shown at the Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival in 2008 and in Toronto, Canada and Kathmandu, Nepal at the Imaginative Film Festival in 2009. Two Scoops was screened at the National Museum of the American Indian (George Gustav Heye Center) in New York City in 2008.[11]

Activism

Traverse is an Indigenous activist and supporter of the empowerment of indigenous women in Canada. The strength and power of women often depicted in her artwork and is reflected in her activism. She is the founder of a ride-share program in Winnipeg called Ikwe Safe Ride, designed to provide a safe alternative to taxi cabs after a string a reported sexual assaults on women in Winnipeg taxi cabs.[12][13]

In 2015, Traverse was the founder of the Indigenous Rock the Vote movement in Winnipeg.[14] The Indigenous Rock the Vote movement inspired indigenous people across Canada to challenge historical low voter turnout rates by voting in the 2015 Canadian Federal Election.

References
  1. Shelley, Cook (December 29, 2009). "Aboriginal artist earns unique Olympic spotlight". Winnipeg Free Press. Archived from the original on April 12, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  2. "Gallery Showcase - Jackie Traverse". Uniquely Manitoba. Archived from the original on April 11, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  3. Traverse, Jackie (2016). Sacred Feminine: An Indigenous Art Colouring Book. Manitoba: Roseway Publishing an imprint of Fernwood Publishing. ISBN 9781552669198.
  4. "Jackie Traverse". The Wah-sa Gallery. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  5. "Jackie Traverse". The Winnipeg Art Gallery. Archived from the original on April 12, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  6. Macleod, Duncan. "Aboriginal Coke Bottle Art at Vancouver 2010". Inspiration Room. Archived from the original on April 11, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  7. Cook, Shelley (December 29, 2009). "Aboriginal Artist Earns Unique Olympic Spotlight". Winnipeg Free Press. Archived from the original on April 12, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  8. "The Murals of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: 141 Sherbrook Street". www.themuralsofwinnipeg.com. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  9. "Jackie Traverse, Mother Earth". resilienceproject.ca. Archived from the original on 2019-10-18. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  10. "Film Makers - Jackie Traverse". Winnipeg Film Group. Archived from the original on April 12, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  11. "American Indian Magazine" (PDF). Spring 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  12. "Winnipeg Facebook group offers safe rides to aboriginal women". CBC News. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  13. "Volunteers launch ride sharing service for indigenous women". Winnipeg Free Press. Archived from the original on April 12, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  14. "Indigenous Rock the Vote Organizers Celebrate". CBC News. October 22, 2015. Archived from the original on April 12, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
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