Featured Grants: Arts Workshop / Arts Grant

ARTS WORKSHOP GRANT

judy mckinley, Watercolour Portrait Skills Development

Photo by Patricia Guzman.

Artist judy mckinley (lowercase by request of the artist) has been working in various art genres for years and knows the need for diverse representation. As a woman of mixed-race Jamaican ancestry, judy has spent a lot of time looking for artists who portray the people and histories that she wants to represent through her art. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many workshops to move online, making them more accessible and affordable. With funding from the Arts Workshop grant, judy was able to participate in virtual watercolour workshops led by three international master artists who paint people of colour and use distinctly different techniques, providing an opportunity to stretch creatively. judy is already using her improved skills to benefit others on Haida Gwaii. Currently she is involved with the Hlk’yak’ii: To Start a Fire exhibition at the Haida Gwaii Museum, where she plans to reveal a large watercolour-inspired project.

ARTS GRANT

Jay Bellis, Children’s Button Blankets

“We still see Haida children dancing without regalia,” wrote Jay Bellis in his 2020 Arts Grant application. With a desire to help children nurture their connections with culture at an early age, Jay has created six unique button blankets for local Haida dance groups. The Old Masset-based artist made the new blankets in a style with roots in Haida traditions. With support from Gwaii Trust, he was able to purchase materials and research traditional Haida artworks at the Haida Heritage Museum in Skidegate and the Museum of Northern BC in Prince Rupert. The funds also supported the creation of each blanket using his wide range of artistic skills including design, painting, appliqué, sewing, leatherwork, beadwork and buttonwork.