This month we are thrilled to welcome Alyssa Miller as our Suncor Indigenous Artist in Residence. Alyssa will be visiting Wood Buffalo from her home in Hinton, sharing her practice with porcupine quilling and spending time creating new work. We interviewed Alyssa to get to know more about her and her art.
ACWB: What excites you most about being the Suncor Indigenous Artist in Residence and spending three weeks in Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo?
Alyssa: I am looking forward to being able to dedicate some time specifically to my artistic practice and use the time to develop my skills and make some unique pieces of art. As well as that, I am looking forward to spending some time in a new area of Alberta that I have never been to before.
ACWB: How did you get started as an artist?
Alyssa: I have always been surrounded by arts, traditional and otherwise. My mom exposed me to as much as she could as I was growing up. Since then I have studied and practiced various forms, taking any opportunity for workshops or listen to anyone willing to share with me. Including but not limited to painting, photography, beading, and sewing, and these all set me up with skills that I still use in my work today. It wasn't until 2015 that I was introduced to porcupine quillwork for the first time and was captivated by it. In 2021, after having lost my jobs during Covid, I started working with quills again and have been able to start my career as an artist full-time.
ACWB: How does your Métis identity shape the themes and techniques you explore in your art?
Alyssa: Métis people have been known as the "flower beadwork people" and I definitely carry that forward in my work with quills as well, having always been drawn to depicting the flora in my local area in my arts.
ACWB: Your work during your residency will focus on fashion and jewelry created with traditional techniques and materials. What draws you to this practice?
Alyssa: What draws me to this practice is being able to connect and learn with traditional arts, and be able to show them off in a contemporary way where people are able to wear and express themselves though it.
ACWB: You've mentioned drawing inspiration from nature. In what ways do your interactions with the natural world—whether through materials or experiences—shape your creative practice?
Alyssa: Having grown up in the mountains of rural Alberta has allowed me opportunity to have consistent access to the nature around me, and definitely was formative to my experiences growing up and I have carried that into my art. Spending time in the forests and mountains around me has always felt like a safe and secure place and allows me to slow down and appreciate the smaller detail of life around me. At some point an interest in medical plants as well as capturing them with my camera took place. And as I was looking for a way to share that with others, I started my quillwork practice and it only felt natural to depict the world around me as I saw it... from the forest floor. Being able to do that using natural materials - quills and birch bark - only amplifies my love for what I am able to do.
ACWB: What else do you look forward to experiencing during your residence?
Alyssa: I look forward to sharing quillwork with anyone who is interested and connecting those with the practice
ACWB: What would be your advice for aspiring and emerging artists?
Alyssa: Just start! And start again and again if you have to. It doesn't have to be perfect, but you have to move onto the next part eventually.
Alyssa will be in residence from June 4-June 25, 2025. To learn from Alyssa, register for her upcoming Porcupine Quill Medallion Workshop. Keep an eye out for Alyssa at Mikisew Cree First Nation Treaty Days in Fort Chipewyan, where she will also be sharing her skills. At the end of her residency, we invite you to join us at Bouchier in Fort McKay for a showcase of Alyssa’s work.
