Two new members, representing the Sahtu and Beaufort Delta regions, have joined the NWT Arts Council for two-year terms.
The first new member is Antoine Mountain. Mountain is Dene, First Nations, and is originally from Rádeyı̨lı̨kóé in the NWT. He grew up with a very artistic family, and was surrounded by their crafts such as sculpting, beading, sewing, and quillwork. Later in life, he grew his own artistic talents through painting, attending art school in Toronto, and expanding his knowledge by attending schools in Italy.
Antoine graduated from the Ontario College of Arts and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and, most recently, received a Masters in Environmental Studies from York University.
The second new member is Franchesca Hebert-Spence, who represents Beufort Delta. Currently living in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in Inuvik, Franchesca is Anishinaabe (member of Sagkeeng First Nation) from Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Hebert-Spence has previously done work as a cultural producer, and has a background in research and administration, with her own skills in making and curating art. She is the Curator of Indigenous Ceramics at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto, and previously the Curatorial Assistant within the Indigenous Art Department at the National Gallery of Canada. She is a PhD candidate in Cultural Mediations (Visual Culture) at Carleton University and Fellow of the Norval Morrisseau Project. Her writing touches on the guest/host protocols within Indigenous methodological practices with a focus on visual art in Canada.
It is expected that these new members will bring valuable insights and expertise to the NWT arts. They will advise the Minister of Education, Culture, and Employment on financial awards for creative artistic projects in film and media arts, visual, literary and performing arts, and issues and policies associated with the arts and artists.
