Award-Winning Furrier, Indigenous Fashion, Jewellery & Art Inspired by the Land. Limited releases. Handmade in Northern Ontario.
JANELLE WAWIA
Anishinaabe artist, award winning furrier, and fashion designer from Red Rock Indian Band. Her work spans fur, beading, jewellery, painting, and hide tanning; all rooted in her connection to the land and her family traplines. Featured in Elle Canada and The Kit, Vogue World and the 2nd recipient of the Barbara Laronde Award.
Artist CV
2013 Fur Harvest, Fur Management and Conservation Course
2013 North American Wild Fur Shippers Council Technical Fur Workshop, NAFA, Four Seasons Furs, Toronto, ON
2018 Dene Najho Urban Hide Tanning Residency, Banff Arts Centre, Banff, AB
Education: Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology
Public Art /Community
2013-15 Ikewzensag Waa Mashkowiziwaad, Empowering Girls Camp, Dilico Anishinabek Family Care
2014 Walking with Our Sisters Coffeehouse and Art Auction
2016 Resilient Hearts Project – Artist – Thunder Bay
2017 Mindful Expressions – Exploring Mental Wellness through Art, Youth Suicide Prevention, Thunder
Bay, ON
2018 Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto - Designer/Runway, Toronto, ON
2018 British Arts Council – Designer/Runway + Showcase, Toronto, ON
2019 Red Embers: MMIW Art installation in Allan Gardens, Toronto, ON
2019 Twitter Canada: Emoji Designer for National Indigenous Awareness Month
2020 Fort William First Nation Hide Camp – Camp Lead/Knowledge Keeper, FWFN, ON
2021 Red Embers: MMIW Art Installation, Ashbridges Bay in the Beaches, Toronto, ON
2022 Indigenous Fashion Arts Festival - Designer/Runway, Toronto, ON
2023 ModeCanadaRocks - Designer/Runway, Toronto, ON
2024 Indigenous Fashion Arts Toronto 20204, Designer, Runway
Gallery Exhibitions
2014 The North Now: 2014 Northern Ontario Juried Exhibition, Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, ON
2017 Perspectives from Here Exhibition; Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, ON
2018 Fortify This; Definitely Superior Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, ON
2018 Annual Members Exhibition; Mindful Makers Collective, The Baggage Building Art Centre, Thunder
Bay, ON
2020 Barbara Laronde Exhibition; Toronto Media Arts Centre, Toronto, ON
2021 Mindful Makers Members Show, Gallery 33, Painted Turtle, Thunder Bay, ON
2021 Elemental Unravelling: Juried Art Exhibit, Baggage Arts Building, Thunder Bay, ON
Awards
2014 Juror’s Award, The North Now: 2014 Northern Ontario Juried Exhibition, Thunder Bay Art Gallery
2016 Emerging Female Indigenous Artist in Northern Ontario, Barbara Laronde Award, Native Women in
the Arts, Toronto, ON
Media/Publications
2014 A Flair for Fur and the Feminine, The Walleye Magazine, Vol 5 No 11 November 2014
2016 Announcing the 2016 Barbara Laronde Award Recipient here
2016 Native Women in the Arts Recipient Janelle Wawia here
2016 Presentation of The Barbara Laronde Award in Temagami here
2016 Red Rock First Nation artist recognized with award here
2016 Artist Draws on Trapping Heritage to Create Contemporary Work here
2017 Exploring Mental Wellness through Art here
2017 Mindful Expressions – exploring mental wellness through art here
2017 Art Amplifies Voices here
2018 Red Rising Magazine, Issue 8, Language. Page 80.
2018 Northern Artist Headed to Indigenous Fashion Week here
2018 Fanzine Toronto at Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto here
2018 Indigenous fashion week weaves identity, tradition and social change here
2019 Today’s Wonder Woman: Meet Award-winning Artist & Designer Sage Paul – The Founder Of Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto here
2019 Thunder Bay Experience Guide, Ones to Watch here
2019 Northern Ontario artist designs Twitter Emoji here
2019 Red Embers Public Art Installation Transforms Toronto’s Allan Gardens here
2019 Banners in Allan Gardens honour missing and murdered Indigenous women here
2022 These Indigenous Fashion Designers Should be on Your Radar https://www.ellecanada.com/fashion/indigenous-fashion-designers-to-know
2022 These Indigenous Fashion Designers Are Change the Game https://thekit.ca/fashion/fashion-designers/indigenous-fashion-arts-festival-designers/