Mentors

Our project mentors were chosen from a prospective list of eligible candidates who were nominated within Membertou First Nation.

Each mentor had been matched with an aspiring artist (or artists) based on their areas of expertise, and a mentoring schedule had been established with one-on-one training and scheduled check-ins. Bi-weekly sessions & check-ins were maintained for each mentor/trainee pairing, and the progress of each mentor-trainee pair has been documented on video acquired from interviews, check-in footage, and student video journals.

We are pleased to introduce our project mentors (and their young proteges).

• Jocelyn Marshall operates Jocelyn Marshall Designs in Membertou and specializes in custom bead designs. Jocelyn was paired with Lyric Christmas, one of our four selected trainees who also specializes in beadwork.

• Clifford Paul, who is an experienced journalist and photographer based in Eskasoni, was paired with Ethan Rose. Clifford had been training Ethan to hone his skills in photography.

• Loretta Gould is an established and renowned painter based in Whycocomagh. Loretta, as our painting mentor, had been working with both Kierra Marshall and Ceilidh Alana Isadore, who both work in paint.

The mentors began their involvement with the delivery of learning workshops via webinars, focusing on their craft. The webinars introduce viewers to the craft, its cultural & historical significance, and some key practices & techniques for those interested in pursuing opportunities in each artists’ discipline. Recordings of their LEARNING WORKSHOPS have been made available on our website so that they may be shared with prospective artists across Canada. The workshops can be viewed by CLICKING HERE.

The project transitioned into the creation phase as the trainees applied the skills they’d learned from their mentors.