Art Grant Project

Art Grant Project

  • In mid 2024, after visiting the Royal Alberta Museum for the second time, I wanted to honor my ancestors work. With the help of my mentor, I knew I wanted to bead and create Dene Wall Pockets. With their help, we wrote an art grant. Requesting the time to make two Gwich’in wall pockets and to research Lower Mackenzie River motifs and styles from the early 1900s.

  • This project stretches over most of 2025. We are now in early March working on second wall pocket. The first wall pocket design is *almost finished and and beading is slowly starting with the second.

    *Commissions are closed till June 2025. With those booked will continue but might be slightly delayed. Mahsi.

  • I’ll be keeping this up to date, but there will be periods of 1-2 weeks as I work. I’m so excited to share all this and upload all the pics. I’ve watched so many others and their projects, and I loved the updates.

Below is some information on this project. Mahsi Cho to the Alberta Foundation for the Arts for this. This project will take about 6 months, all the pink cheyenne beads, and steel cuts.

My current research has been in trade beads and recreating vintage beadwork. With the help and knowledge of mentors, friends and social media contacts, I have been studying and researching into trade routes, our grandmothers work, learning Dene floral motifs and recreating traditional beadwork styles.

We, in the centuries past, have kept our beadwork on everyday items. But in modern times, this has dwindled, kept in museums. As much as possible, we will be using traditional materials from vintage beads, old style Gwich’in florals, beading down on velveteen, hometanned hide. Also, little fact, we used to use a flour and water paste to outline our florals on black velveteen, that you can still see in museums work. While we may not use this technique, the Dene wall pockets will be done as close as possible. This is also in the knowledge that not everything can be replicated or copied, but we will still honor this work as we move it into a modern, contemporary setting.

So the grant is providing time for me to look more into motif designs, colors, materials, and beading techniques with a mentor who has knowledge on historical beading methods and materials. In early February, I had my third trip to the Royal Alberta Museum. This time to see and learn more on material finishings for wall pockets. The Indigenous steward, Coral Madge, pulled a dozen wall pockets. These were mostly Gwich’in, but also Cree, Metis and Dene. This was to learn, ask and photograph to see what our ancestors used to finish their wall pockets. Our ancestors used velveteen, trade beads and then I wanted to see how they incorporated this into their work. Some wall pockets were edged in steel cuts, others in plain bias tape. I know that environment plays a significant role in finishing but to see times, places and items was significantly helpful. And let me take five thousand photos.

We are nearing the half way mark. One pocket is almost done and second is designed out and started with only one hour of beading so far.

From the early February Royal Alberta Museum Trip.