ART INSTALLATIONS
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:
MIMI ABRAHAMS
Mimi is a theatre and events professional who has had the privilege of connecting with many diverse cultures through her work supporting and uplifting performing and visual arts. She considers herself an ally to the contemporary Indigenous renaissance.
Her work is a response to Musqueam cultural sharing and is not intended to be a representational voice from within the community. These site-specific pieces have been created in conversation with, and with the approval of, the Musqueam Band Office.
Through these works, Mimi hopes to inspire others to learn more about our Musqueam neighbours and deepen their understanding of the land and its stories.
FAWN LILY LANTERNS
Thank you to:
Amy Perreault, CTLT Indigenous Initiatives
Karleen Delaurier-Lyle, and Kayla, at X̱wi7x̱wa Library
Linda PJ Lipsen (Jennings) at Beaty Biodiversity Museum
SALISH SHAPES
In 2024, Come Toward the Fire received a gift of iconic Musqueam outline forms, created by Paul Mack, with permission to use them as we deemed fit.
In her piece Salish Shapes, Mimi has scaled these forms so that they can be fitted together like a tessellation puzzle. These shapes can then be rearranged by our guests to experiment with positive and negative space and color, or used as a comfy seat for their stage viewing enjoyment.
By leveraging the audience’s tactile curiosity, Mimi’s goal is to make a create familiarity with our local indigenous art aesthetics, making the sense of “other” a little less intimidating.
Don’t forget to show off your work and tag us on Instagram, we’re excited to see your creativity in action!
Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam),meaning, place where the məθkʷəy̓ (Mus-que) grows.
Mimi became captivated by Shane Pointe's telling of the sʔi:ɬqəy̓ (Seelth-kee), double headed serpent. At the end of the story, a new flowering plant, məθkʷəy̓, appears from Camosun bog. As the plant is discovered in the wake of disaster, its appearance is believed to signal times of abundance and improving conditions.
The idea that no one currently alive has seen a məθkʷəy̓, yet it lives on through intergenerational oral accounts, took root in her imagination as a “botanical unicorn”.
Surprisingly, məθkʷəy̓ appears rarely in traditional artwork, and only occasionally in contemporary pieces. Some storytellers have connected it to the Erythronium genus, commonly known as fawn lilies native to the BC coast and Pacific Northwest.
Mimi’s intent is to provide an avenue of wonder and curiosity towards the very local Indigenous tales of our region, starting with the Musqueam naming story, and open the door for a new focus point in which to find hope.
Thank you to:
Mack Paul, Musqueam Band Office and Independent Artist
Rob Eccles, Laz Bones Designs
Makerlabs