We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts

Currently based in the Biellese Alps in Northern Italy, I have become acutely aware of the annual rhythm of livestock moving to and from the high mountains for summer grazing. This ancient practise, called transhumance, is passionately preserved by the local people. The animals are held in the highest regard, as are their renowned cheeses and dairy products. To quote Slow Food Italy: “Speaking of transhumance means delving into an ancient practice described in literary works and legal texts….But at the same time, it gives a voice to those who continue to practice it today, faithfully preserving a technique that carries incredibly contemporary messages. It is about landscape conservation, pastures, and traditional routes, and the welfare of animals.” From the window of my studio space, I have watched the animals, led by their Shepherds, as they make their way to cool meadows rich in herbs, grasses, and alpine flowers. The sound of their bells entwined with the barking of the herding dogs and the calls of the Shepherds has become a sort of music to me, enriching my artistic practise and filling me with inspiration. I have a ritual of watching and attempting to count the animals as they pass.

My primary artistic medium is also informed by a timeless tradition, beadwork. Here too I embrace the ritual of counting, taking up ten beads at a time onto my needle to work into a given composition. Working with glass beads has become an increasingly common and widely accepted medium within the Canadian contemporary art community. In fact, at the 2024 Venice Biennale, artist Kapwani Kiwanga (curator: Gaëtane Verna), encased the Canadian pavilion in thousands of strings of tiny glass beads arranged in intricate patterns. A recent exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada, Radical Stitch (curated by Sherry Farrell Racette, Michelle LaVallee and Cathy Mattes), showcases contemporary beadwork by Indigenous artists from across Canada. The newly released book, Bead Talk (editors Carmen Robertson, Judy Anderson, and Katherine Boyer), explores the explosion of beadwork within the contemporary Indigenous art world.

As a Red River Métis artist (Manitoba Métis Federation Citizen), I embrace this history and use beads to tell stories that I find inspiring. Information about the Métis people can be found at https://indigenouspeoplesatlasofcanada.ca/article/frequently-asked-questions-metis/. The Métis are known as “The Flower Bead Work People” because of their extensive use of floral motifs in beaded works. Within this history, there is a strong link to Italy, as the beads prized by the Métis were historically produced on the Island of Murano. I’ve visited the Island and it’s glass makers on various occassions to understand how our prized beads were produced and transported. There are deep ties between the act of beading and the colonial history of Canada, where beads became a form of currency dependent upon elaborate and far-reaching trade networks. 

This series of work combines these three areas of artistic interest, the observation of the transhumance tradition, contemporary beadwork, and the use of floral motifs in a non-traditional style.  The series consists of ten beaded works (each 41 x 51 cm, including frame), portraits of cows, framed and presented as paintings. Each frame is unique and custom designed by Accademia Cornici (Biella, Italy). The beaded works are complimented by three sculptural works which incorporate antique cow bells with modern ironwork, designed by Giuseppe Borgo and me, crafted by Italian ironsmith Carmine Longo (Masserano, Italy). Each of the sculptural works incorporates a unique, handcrafted, antique cowbell. These sculptural works are designed to be affixed to the gallery walls.