Past Artists in Residence

Morigeau’s contemporary expression of traditional Indigenous arts focuses on encapsulating Indigenous teachings and medicines. Her practice embodies her own healing journey from addiction, mental illness and colonialism.

During Morigeau’s residence, she teamed up with Fall 2020 resident artist, Carla White, for the Artist in Residency Showcase. The showcase featured a live, virtual Q&A session with both artists, who discussed their residency experiences and their impressions of the healing qualities of art.

Following the Q&A session, Arts Council launched the premiere of Sparking Creativity, a short documentary about tragedy and the healing power of art. Directed by M’Guphynn Media, the documentary captures White’s residency and her cathartic insights.

Workshops Across the Region

Morigeau held a series of workshops, including resin casting and pine-needle basket weaving for artists across the region.

She held two pine-needle basket weaving workshops, one in Fort Chipewyan (virtually) and one in Anzac (in-person). The workshops culminated in the creation of a small, wooden-base Medicine Basket for storing sage or other Sacred Medicines.

She also held a resin casting workshop in Fort McMurray, where she offered basic instruction, demonstrations, and an opportunity to experiment with UV resin and silicone molds. This contemporary expression of traditional Indigenous arts focuses on encapsulating Indigenous teachings and medicines.

Frozen Aurora: Resin Painting Series

When she wasn’t focused on planning and delivering workshops, Morigeau developed a series of resin paintings to capture the spectacular Aurora Borealis.

She used a mixture of iridescent, neon, and UV reactive glow-in-the-dark pigments, and black silhouettes of pine trees and wildlife commonly found in the area to accentuate the bright colours of the starlit sky and Aurora Borealis.

These paintings are to be framed with ponderosa pine needles in natural resin is released from pine trees as a healing and protective element for the trees, the sticky sap captures infections and harmful insects.

Many Indigenous communities use resin for their own medicines. The synthetic resin I use in my artwork is perfectly transparent, I use it to capture a frozen moment in time which is commonly fleeting and difficult to replicate.

Heather’s Thoughts on Her Residency

“Fuelling creativity was my goal for coming to Wood Buffalo for the Suncor Indigenous Artist Program. I had never been to the region, and it was my first opportunity to teach workshops and my first residency away from Calgary.

During this time, I was supported by the amazing team at Arts Council of Wood Buffalo, who welcomed me warmly and ensured I had everything I needed to make this an amazing arts opportunity (including a cozy AirBnB in Fort McMurray for myself at my furry traveling companion Izabella, the cat).

The space at Keyano College’s printmaking studio was a dream come true. I would only dream of having a space that incredible all to myself back in Calgary. This space gave me the ability to work on my resin everyday, 24/7 and I spent as much time there as possible, including a 22-hour all-nighter in my last few days.

When I wasn’t working, I was also able to enjoy the Keyano Theatre’s production of “All Together Now.” I didn’t realize how much I had missed live theatre over the past 2 years.

Nick Vardy connected me with Elders in Fort Chipewyan and Anzac for my Pine Needle Basket Weaving workshops, and ensured everything was done in a culturally appropriate way.

Hiy-hiy Maarsi. Thank you to the ACWB team for this wonderful experience.”