Loraine Menicoche
I have submitted written articles on Indian Residential School and Dene legends since the 1980s and the articles were published by the NWT Literacy Council. I have studied various art forms at the University of Lethbridge. I was part of UOL Landmarks team for the 2017 Canadian Celebration; the team displayed the art at the Fort in Lethbridge. My art work represented cultural amalgamation; with the creation of 15 pottery beads, each bead is about 10 inches tall. The majority of work is centered around the Indian Residential School experience and this is a large room size sculpture with epic IRS drawings on canvas. I dabble in acrylic paintings from large to small sizes and on many type of mediums, mostly canvas. All of the storytelling is around the Dene legends that were told to me by my maternal amah while she raised me in the bushes of Rabbitskin River before IRS age.The paintings that I work on are based on my journey in recovery. Of course, all gardening designs and rock art are done only during the six months of wonderful sun weather up here but a very enjoyable activity to work on with grandkids. I am working on two manuscripts and looking for a publisher or editor. Art saved me in the last four years when I suffered deeply from PTSD from workplace violence and IRS trauma.