Arsene Arcand - Artist Talk

The theme of Arsene Joseph Alexander Arcand’s new body of work for this year’s Indigenous Artist in Residency is centered around teachings of the moss bag. The pieces are visual interpretations of a moss bag, what we use to swaddle a baby in Indigenous traditional parenting. The stone motifs of a moss bag is a reminder to return to ôpikinasowin, meaning the act of raising children in nêhiyawêwin, the Cree language. For everything that is ceremonially significant to us, we keep it safe in a bag. This is protection from the outside world, mimicking the warmth and safety of your mother’s womb. Your body is a moss bag for your spirit. Many of the carvings are hollow inside to represent the opportunity to fill the space with something good. It represents the significance of our potential as human beings.