{"id":75334,"date":"2024-03-19T14:20:23","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T20:20:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/?p=75334"},"modified":"2024-03-19T14:20:23","modified_gmt":"2024-03-19T20:20:23","slug":"take-pain-and-create-something-beautiful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/2024\/03\/19\/take-pain-and-create-something-beautiful\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Take pain and create something beautiful&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><div style=\"width: 1280px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-75334-1\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"http:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/ndn_girlhood-720p-1.mp4?_=1\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/ndn_girlhood-720p-1.mp4\">http:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/ndn_girlhood-720p-1.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Native Girlhood<\/strong>: Artist Evelyn Mikayla Martin launches NDN Girlhood, a free public exhibition at the Ledge Gallery of Arts Commons.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span class=\"wpsdc-drop-cap\">W<\/span>henever freelance artist Evelyn Mikayla Martin wields a paintbrush, she not only creates art but also raises a fist in solidarity with her fellow Indigenous people.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Martin&#8217;s art is a testament to her resilience and strength as she navigates mental health, cultural identity and community representation as a Blackfeet woman.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI think one of the bravest things you can do is take pain and create something beautiful,\u201d Martin said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NDN Girlhood, a free public exhibition portraying native girlhood, officially opened at the Ledge Gallery of Arts Commons on Friday, March 8. The exhibit showcases Martin\u2019s acrylic painting and installation pieces.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s the first time Martin created an installation piece with found objects. Martin drew inspiration from English artist Tracey Emin\u2019s piece, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tate.org.uk\/art\/artworks\/emin-my-bed-l03662\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My Bed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which she personalized with her ventures growing up as an Indigenous woman. Martin comes from the <a href=\"https:\/\/tribalnations.mt.gov\/Directory\/BlackfeetNation\">Blackfeet Tribe of Montana<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_75335\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-75335\" style=\"width: 2560px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-75335\" src=\"http:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240312-NDN-Girlhood-JDR-0533-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1555\" srcset=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240312-NDN-Girlhood-JDR-0533-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240312-NDN-Girlhood-JDR-0533-300x182.jpg 300w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240312-NDN-Girlhood-JDR-0533-1024x622.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240312-NDN-Girlhood-JDR-0533-768x466.jpg 768w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240312-NDN-Girlhood-JDR-0533-1536x933.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240312-NDN-Girlhood-JDR-0533-2048x1244.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-75335\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Mixed Media<\/strong>: Evelyn Mikayla Martin is a visual artist who recently dabbled into art installation. (Photo by Janille Delos Reyes\/The Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>My Bed<\/em> portrays the dishevelled state of Emin\u2019s bedroom. The tousled sheets, dispelled cigarette packets and alcohol bottles represent a depressive episode that the artist\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">endured, which resonated with Martin.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhen we\u2019re all going through challenging things, we retreat to our bedroom and private spaces,\u201d Martin said. \u201cI wanted to do a native girlhood take on what it\u2019s like to battle mental health issues by utilizing visual arts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Martin\u2019s personal belongings\u2014baby pictures and sketches- adorn the walls of the Ledge Gallery. A pack of cigarettes, a pair of boots, and a vinyl record copy of <em>The Top<\/em> by The Cure are carefully placed on the bed. This installation is a visual feast and a poignant reflection of Martin\u2019s journey and the emotions it evokes in her media.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was also an opportunity for Martin to reflect on the intergenerational trauma faced by her community. Her friends and family filled the space, bearing gifts and flowers to honour her work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cTwo of my grandmothers that I grew up with were cultural mentors to me and taught me what it means to be Blackfeet woman,\u201d Martin said. \u201cI always put in a lot of effort to reclaim representation over the way Blackfeet women and girls exist in our narrative. I make sure we have control over that in a positive way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a kid, Martin often encountered \u201charmful stereotypes\u201d of Indigenous people in the media, such as Tiger Lily from Disney\u2019s 1953 film <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0046183\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Peter Pan<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This sparked her passion to reclaim autonomy over representing herself and her community instead of dealing with the constant injudicious portrayal.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_75343\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-75343\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-75343\" src=\"http:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240312-NDN-Girlhood-JDR-0554-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240312-NDN-Girlhood-JDR-0554-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240312-NDN-Girlhood-JDR-0554-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240312-NDN-Girlhood-JDR-0554-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240312-NDN-Girlhood-JDR-0554-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240312-NDN-Girlhood-JDR-0554-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-75343\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Personal portraits:<\/strong> Through self-portraiture, Martin reclaims autonomy over her representation and narrative as a native woman. (Photo by Janille Delos Reyes\/The Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cPainting myself also helped me heal my personal traumas and build a more positive connection with my body,\u201d Martin said. \u201cIt really made me continue to be intentional in the work that I\u2019m producing, knowing that it\u2019s affecting those around me and our communities.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sanja Luka\u010d cited the influence of art in recognizing Indigenous history.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cArt has always been a powerful tool for audiences to engage with and learn about an artist\u2019s background as it makes them more immersed in their experience,\u201d said Luka\u010d, senior visual and media arts curator at Arts Commons. \u201cI think it\u2019s important that there are dedicated spaces for Indigenous artists to share their work, processes, thoughts, and storytelling.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Martin hopes to spark conversations through her art and create platforms for other emerging artists to have their talents seen and make their voices heard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI\u2019m just so honoured and glad to see other Blackfoot people making a name for themselves,\u201d said attendee Bryce Manyfingers. \u201cEspecially on their own territory.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Manyfingers is also an artist and singer from the Blackfoot Confederacy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYou just have to be here to see all the details. It\u2019s just very intimate,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t have role models or places like these to go to, so seeing Evelyn doing this makes you feel like you can do them too. It\u2019s just important moving forward.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To Martin, navigating the experience of being an Indigenous woman is a journey of a lifetime.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the battle for the reclamation of space and representation for Indigenous people persists, Martin continues to wear her warpaint.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cA big part of my purpose with this installation and this exhibition is to show that we&#8217;re allowed to take total control over showing the world that this is who I am,\u201d Martin said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThis is where I come from. These are my beliefs. This is how I choose to represent myself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_75342\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-75342\" style=\"width: 2033px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-75342\" src=\"http:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240308-NDN-Girlhood-JDR-0243-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2033\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240308-NDN-Girlhood-JDR-0243-scaled.jpg 2033w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240308-NDN-Girlhood-JDR-0243-238x300.jpg 238w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240308-NDN-Girlhood-JDR-0243-813x1024.jpg 813w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240308-NDN-Girlhood-JDR-0243-768x967.jpg 768w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240308-NDN-Girlhood-JDR-0243-1220x1536.jpg 1220w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240308-NDN-Girlhood-JDR-0243-1626x2048.jpg 1626w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2033px) 100vw, 2033px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-75342\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Community representation<\/strong>: NDN Girlhood exhibits navigating mental health and cultural identity as a Blackfoot woman. (Photo by Janille Delos Reyes\/The Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Whenever freelance artist Evelyn Mikayla Martin wields a paintbrush, she not only creates art but also raises a fist in solidarity with her fellow Indigenous people.\u00a0 <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/2024\/03\/19\/take-pain-and-create-something-beautiful\/\" title=\"&#8216;Take pain and create something beautiful&#8217;\">[ READ MORE ]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":865,"featured_media":75335,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_ef_editorial_meta_text_assignment-slug":"S4 NDN Girlhood JDR","footnotes":""},"categories":[1590,1808,1109],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-75334","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts","8":"category-history","9":"category-mental-health"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/865"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75334"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75753,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75334\/revisions\/75753"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}