PIITWEWETAM: MAKING IS MEDICINE
All My Relations Arts is pleased to present Piitwewetam: Making is Medicine. APRIL 10 – JUNE 10TH, 2023. Co-Curated by Jean and Leanna Marshall. Organized and circulated by the
Thunder Bay Art Gallery with support from the Ontario Arts Council.
This commemorative art exhibition – curated by Leanna and Jean Marshall – presents artwork by the Gustafson family: Shannon, Ryan, Justine, and Jade. The exhibition honors their son and brother, Piitwewetam (Rolling Thunder), also known as the late Jesse Gustafson who traveled to the spirit world after a car accident in 2015.
Piitwewetam: Making is Medicine is an offering from the Gustafson family to each of us. As an Anishnaabe family the act of giving is an integral part of their life. Gifts are offered out of kindness, out of love. To give is to simply offer without the expectation of receiving something in return. When we give, we are enacting a sacred law that acknowledges life. With Anishnaabe tradition, a part of the grief ceremony is gifting. This beautiful exhibition is acknowledging all of the good life, including relationships, teachings, singing, and dancing that Jesse experienced when he was here on Earth. Each piece in this exhibition will be gifted to friends and family. These gifts come from kindness, from a deep love that honors Piitwewetam.
On View: April 10th – June 10th, 2023
Opening Reception: April 13th, 2023
Closing Reception: June 10th, 2023
Stay tuned additional programming and workshops centered around this exhibit.
One of the gifts of being human is to love. We love so deep and so forever that generations forthcoming can feel our love. Another gift of being human is to grieve: a most natural and challenging response to a loss. This is the story of an Anishnaabe family’s journey of love and grief and grief and love.
Piitwewetam: Making Is Medicine is a commemorative exhibition that presents work by the Gustafson family: Shannon, Ryan, Justine, and Jade, honouring honouring their son and brother, Piitwewetam (Rolling Thunder), also known as the late Jesse Gustafson who travelled to the spirit world in 2015. Piitwewetam is an offering from the Gustafson family to each of us.
As an Anishnaaabe family, the act of giving is an integral part of their life. Gifts are offered out of kindness, out of love. To give is to simply offer without the expectation of receiving something in return. When we give, we are enacting a sacred law that acknowledges life. Within Anishnaabe tradition, a part of the grief ceremony is gifting. This exhibition acknowledges all of the good life, including relationships, teachings, singing, and dancing that Jesse experienced when he was here on Earth. Each piece in this exhibition will be gifted to friends, family, or to one another. These gifts come from kindness, from a deep love that honours Piitwewetam.
Through their grief, each family member received messages from Piitwewetam to attend ceremony. Some were led to the Midewin lodge and its spiritual teachings, which provided sustenance and grounding.For others, these messages meant thriving at school. It is a humble reminder that healing can find us anywhere, including beading around the kitchen table. The Gustafson’s show us that beading has a way of soothing a wounded spirit. One family’s way of coming together, to make, is the essence of this exhibition: making is medicine.
ARTISTS: SHANNON GUSTAFSON, RYAN GUSTAFSON, JUSTINE GUSTAFSON, JADE GUSTAFSON
Jade Gustafson is a member of Whitesand First Nation, Ontario, and was born and raised in Thunder Bay. When she was twelve her parents, Ryan and Shannon Gustafson, taught her the skills she needed to be a beader. She grew up surrounded by powwow culture and was a traditional dancer until she was seventeen, when she took a step back. Although powwows continue to be a source of inspiration for her creative works, she enjoys experimenting with different projects. Her work is family oriented, with her mother often creating the designs and Justine selecting the colours. Her signature pieces include lanyards, necklaces, earrings and beaded coin purses. On occasion, she will accept an order for custom beadwork for hair sets, leggings or moccasins.
Justine Gustafson is a member of Whitesand First Nation, Ontario, and was born and raised in Thunder Bay. Her cultural background as an Anishinaabekwe is the foundation of her creativity. Currently working full-time as a beader, Justine is recognized and well known for her exceptional bead artistry. She celebrates her identity and culture with vibrant colours and land-based imagery such as floral motifs. She fuses traditional and contemporary materials and methods in her creations—for example, combining 24- karat-gold-plated elements with glass seed beads and porcupine quillwork. She also creates one-of-a-kind pieces for powwow dancers across Canada and the United States. Faced with personal struggle, Justine finds comfort and healing through the creative process of beading. Art keeps her connected to family, culture and community. Justine is the recipient of several Ontario Arts Council grants that support her practiceand her commitment to cultural preservation.
Ryan Gustafson is a member of Whitesand First Nation, Ontario, currently living in Thunder Bay. His mother was influential in guiding him on a path that led to arts, culture and community. This exposure was integral to the development of his passion for singing and dancing. Powwow culture has always been an important part of his life, and he raised his children within the same environment. Ryan is highly skilled in porcupine quill roach making, feather working, woodworking, beading and sewing—traditional practices that he carries forward as an Anishinaabe husband, father and grandfather. His work is a way of reconnecting with the land and teachings of the Anishinaabe culture. Ryan finds joy in learning and challenging his abilities. With the support and inspiration of other Indigenous artists and elders, he has explored the making of tikinagans, the cradleboards used by the Anishinaabe to carry babies. In the process,
he has helped over forty communities to revitalize their own making of tikinagans. Ryan is the recipient of various Ontario Arts Council grants to pursue both learning and teaching—which highlights the fact that he is both a quick and eager student and an excellent, natural teacher. Ryan is always willing to share his knowledge with kindness.
Shannon Gustafson (Kiiwednong Kwe) is a member of Whitesand First Nation, Ontario. She was raised on Serpent River First Nation and now resides in Thunder Bay. Her artistic and creative nature stems from her childhood and is inspired by powwow culture. With the support of her family, Shannon is a full-time artist. She has a deep understanding of the importance of intergenerational transfer of traditional knowledge, which has led her to share her creative gifts with her husband, children and family. Her accomplishments and hardships, including the loss of her son, Jesse, have shaped and guided her artistic practice. Personal healing and cultural preservation are Shannon’s driving force. Her gifts have meaning and purpose, and she uses her art to reconnect with ceremony and to support her healing journey. A love of exploring and learning old Ojibwe cultural art forms has led her to incorporate traditional Ojibwe floral beadwork, pictographs, patterns and designs into her beadwork, leatherwork and textiles. A
recipient of the Hnatyshyn Foundation REVEAL Indigenous Art Award in 2017 and numerous Ontario Arts Council grants, Shannon is grateful for the support and opportunities for continual learning and for the many blessings in her life. She is passionate and dedicated to Indigenous arts practices and will continue to inspire her community, her people and her nation for years to come.
GUEST CURATORS: LEANNA AND JEAN MARSHALL
Jean Marshall grew up in Thunder Bay and is a band member of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation (Big Trout Lake). She is a beader and maker of birchbark baskets, moccasins and quill work. Her art practice uses Anishinaabeg traditional art forms. She has been recognized provincially and nationally for her contribution to the arts for her beadwork. Jean has an eye for detail, and this gift is revealed in her work. She loves the land we live upon and uses plant life in her imagery and designs. She is the founder of the Anemki Art Collective (2015–20). Jean has curated four art exhibitions, including Northwestern Ontario Spotlight for Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto (IFWTO, 2020). She was a guest curator for the group exhibition Their Breath in Beads at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery (2019), which featured ten contemporary
Indigenous beadworkers. She is proud to be a co-curator for the Piitwewetam exhibition.
Leanna Marshall grew up in Thunder Bay and is a band member of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation (Big Trout Lake). She is a self-taught artist who tells stories of her ancestors and of the land through textiles, performance art and poetry. Leanna writes to express social inequities and demonstrate actions of kind-heartedness to work through the effects of colonial violence. For Leanna, work with community is an opportunity to encourage connection and strengthen relationships with all of our relatives. Leanna’s centre is her two daughters who provide much humour and vibrancy to the world. Piitwewetam is her first curatorial experience, which she is proud to have shared with her twin sister, Jean. Leanna is a social worker and is currently studying to become an art therapist.