Warm Up To A Good Cause

This blog excerpt was taken from our store: Moccasins Canada. To read the entire article please click here.

“My people will sleep for one hundred years, but when they awake, it will be the artists who give them their spirit back.” - Louis Riel, 1885

“Art can be used as a vehicle to wake up people. And I use it personally. It’s kind of like, everyone likes my art - great! Now that I have your attention, I want to wake you up about this, I want to wake you up about that.” - Maxine Noel, 2020 In August, 2020, I was asked to interview Maxine Noel on behalf of Moccasins Canada. It was a thrilling and exciting experience to speak with such a dynamic woman.

Maxine Noel is a world-renowned Native Sioux artist who grew up on the Birdtail Reserve in Manitoba. She tells stories with her images: Indigenous stories, women’s stories, stories of the natural world. Her work is characterized by colourful female figures, gentle, flowing lines, and themes of living in harmony with people and nature. “Not Forgotten” is an image Noel created to raise money and awareness for the investigation of Canada’s missing and murdered Indigenous women. Her moving illustration depicts a female figure draped in feathers, surrounded by the spirits of those who are lost. "It wasn't an easy thing to create," Noel once told a Peterborough journalist. She spent many weeks researching, conceiving, and sketching the piece.

The artwork has since appeared on many items, from journals to mugs to t-shirts. All royalties are donated to Indigenous women’s causes.

The image is also featured on this beautiful faux-fur throw. Continue reading...