An Auntie’s Joy
Tenille Campbell
An Auntie’s Joy
Tenille Campbell
In Partnership with Sâkêwêwak and the Indigenous Joys’ Project
November and December, 2023
An Auntie’s Joy was developed by Campbell during a year-long residency with Sâkêwêwak for the Indigenous Joys project. This work, realized as a billboard with AKA, celebrates the laughter and light that Indigenous women bring to the communities around them.
Indigenous Joys - Sâkêwêwak
What does Indigenous joy, desire, and love look like? Indigenous Joys, was a year-long residency with lead artist, Tenille Campbell alongside micro-residencies for four Indigenous artists located across Turtle Island. Created to explore the joys of being Indigenous, the residencies offered a collaborative environment for learning and peer sharing, while experiencing deep belly laughs, joys, and Matriarchy bonding resulting in a group exhibition in August 2023 at Neutral Ground Artist-Run Centre.
The residency began in October 2022 at the kâniyâsihk Culture Camp, where participants were invited to spend three days preparing hides for their projects in different stages, from the hunt to the finished, smoked hide. Micro-residency artists: Stacey Fayant, Arielle Twist, Heather Dixon, Darla Campbell and lead artist, Tenille Campbell spent the next year working together, using the smoked hide pieces tanned during the kâniyâsihk Culture Camps to engage with the theme Indigenous Joys.
Tenille K Campbell is a Dene/Métis author and photographer from English River First Nation, SK. She completed her MFA in Creative Writing from UBC and is enrolled in her PhD at the University of Saskatchewan. Her inaugural poetry book, #IndianLovePoems (Signature Editions, 2017) is an award-winning collection of poetry that focuses on Indigenous Erotica, using humour and storytelling to reclaim and explore ideas of Indigenous sexuality. She is also the artist behind sweetmoon photography and the co-creator of tea&bannock. She currently resides in Saskatoon.
Sâkêwêwak is an Indigenous lead artist collective that ensures Indigenous artists within the city of Regina and surrounding areas are consistently provided with the space and environment to develop their self-determined artistic practices through critical exchange with their peers and audiences. This includes regular programming such as the yearly Storytellers Festival, annual residencies. workshops, performances, and exhibitions.