Monday, June 28, 7pm Atlantic
Join moderator Natasha Blackwood and a panel of incredible Indigenous women musicians, artists and creators from across Atlantic Canada: Maggie Paul, Jenelle Duval, Joanna Barker, Meagan Musseau, and Stephanie Joline, as they discuss music, culture, tradition, and industry.
This event is presented by Music Nova Scotia in partnership with First Light, Atlantic Presenters Association, and Women in Music Canada – Atlantic Chapter, and made possible thanks to FACTOR, the Government of Canada, and Canada’s Private Radio Broadcasters.
Watch LIVE on Facebook at 7pm on June 28!
Panelists:
Maggie Paul is an Indigenous Passamaquoddy elder, teacher and song carrier who has travelled around the world to share Maliseet and Passamaquoddy culture.She has been a sweat lodge keeper for more than 15 years. As a gifted singer, she uses song throughout the ceremonies and as a way to mentor young people who are looking to find their voice. She had made two CDs that have captured the traditional songs of the Passamaquoddy and Maliseet people. Paul’s contribution and dedication to song has inspired a new generation of singers to maintain their culture. A true inspiration to people through song, Paul is also an invaluable supporter to those in her community who are struggling. As a strong believer in keeping people’s traditions alive like she has done on the east coast, she has travelled to Paris, Venezuela, Mexico and Belize to share and learn from their cultures.
Jenelle Duval is L’nu and currently works as an Arts and Culture Coordinator at the First Light St. John’s Friendship Centre, where she has been creating artistic spaces and opportunities for the community and arts professionals since 2012. She is the Artistic Director of Spirit Song Festival, an annual celebration of Indigenous Arts and Culture in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Jenelle is on Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Fest programming committee, Newfoundland Quarterly’s Editorial Advisory Committee, and City of St. John’s Arts and Culture Advisory Committee. She also sits on the Board of Directors at Eastern Edge Gallery. She is the recipient of YWCA’s Women of Distinction Award (2019) for her work in Arts and Heritage, a founding member of EMCA-winning group Eastern Owl, and a tireless advocate for the preservation and revitalization of cultural arts and music. In 2019 Jenelle was acknowledged with a nomination for Indigenous Songwriter of the Year through the Canadian Folk Music Awards and in 2020, was awarded the annual Achievement Award from the APA for her contribution to Indigenous arts presentation in Newfoundland and Labrador. Jenelle is rooted in her home territory of Ktaqmkuk, where she shares her life with her amazing daughter Kassidy.
Joanna Barker is an L’nu musician, songwriter, performer and music educator from Qapskuk, Ktaqmkuk (Grand Falls-Windsor, NL). She chairs the board at Girls Rock NL, is a member of Eastern Owl, and fronts the band John. In 2018 Joanna was awarded a YWCA Women of Distinction Award, in 2019 she received the Arts in Education Award from Arts NL, and in 2020 she was the recipient of the Music NL Music Educator of the Year. Joanna is now living on the coast of Labrador in Natuashish where she is the Music Teacher at the Mushuau Innu Natuashish School. Joanna hosts a monthly radio show on Miawpukek First Nation Radio called Mawpile’n: Tie it together, and produces a podcast made by her students at the school where she teaches.
Meagan Musseau is a Mi’kmaw (L’nu) artist from Elmastukwek, Ktaqmkuk territory (Bay of Islands, western Newfoundland). She nourishes an interdisciplinary practice by working with customary art forms and new media, such as basketry, beadwork, land-based performance, video and installation. She focuses on creating artwork, dancing, learning Mi’kmaw language, and facilitating workshops as a way to actively participate in survivance. Musseau’s work has been exhibited nationally at Open Space, Victoria; grunt gallery, Vancouver; Ociciwan Contemporary Art Centre, Edmonton; AKA Artist-run, Saskatoon; Ace Art Inc., Winnipeg; VOX, centre de l’image contemporaine, Montreal; and internationally at Canada House, London, UK. She has performed at Spirit Song Festival (2019), Bonavista Biennale (2019), Ursula Johnson’s ITHA shopping network (2017), #THIRDSHIFT (2017), as well as in landscapes across Turtle Island. Her work has been featured in publications such as Canadian Art, Border Crossings, and Visual Arts News. Musseau’s practice has been supported by awards such as an Aboriginal Arts Development Award, First Peoples’ Cultural Council (2016), Atlantic Canadian Emerging Artist, the Hnatyshyn Foundation (2018), and the Sobey Art Award longlist (2021).
Stephanie Joline is an Indigenous filmmaker and artist based in Halifax/Kjipuktuk, Nova Scotia/Mi’kma’ki. Her Indigenous roots come from her mother who is Inuit from Labrador, her father is French Acadian from the South shore of Nova Scotia/Mi’kma’ki. Stephanie’s work provokes conversation, breaks boundaries, and is deeply rooted in inclusivity and feminism. Her feature films include Night Blooms (2021), a gritty coming-of-age story set in the 1990s; Stream Me (2021), about an Indigenous teen who immerses herself in online gaming; and her debut Play Your Gender (2016), a documentary that pulls back the curtain on gender bias in the music industry, featuring interviews with Patty Schemel, Melissa Auf Der Maur, and Sara Quin. In 2020 she was awarded the Irving Avrich Award from TIFF recognizing rising Canadian talent. Stephanie has also made several short films, and created music videos for Nicole Ariana, Nathan Wiley, and Gabrielle Papillon among others.
Moderator:
Natasha Blackwood is the coordinator of First Light Centre for Performance and Creativity in St John’s. She is of mixed Irish, English and Mi’kmaq ancestry, and has extensive experience as a music educator, technician, and arts administrator. Blackwood is well known in the arts community in St. John’s, Newfoundland as a force behind successful projects such as Eastern Owl, Jazz East, and Spirit Song Festival, as well as a prolific multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter. She is the recipient of Music NL’s Volunteer of the Year Award (2019), as well as the East Coast Music Association’s (ECMA) award for Indigenous Artist of the Year (2020) with Eastern Owl. Natasha’s debut solo album `Ease Back’, is a concept album about the stages of grief as navigated by a mother, which was nominated for both MusicNL’s Jazz/Blues album of the year, and ECMA’s Inspirational album of the year (2021). She is the mother of three beautiful children and an adopted beagle, and has spent her life dedicated to community, family, and art.