The Art of Mi’kmaw Basketry

October 1, 2024
Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Halifax

Peter J Clair: Artist and Visionary Mi’kmaw Basket Weaver

Tuesday Night Talk, free

Treaty Day, 6:30 pm

Mi’kmaw artists are creating a wide range of imaginative and beautiful work using the skills and traditions of basketry weaving given to them by their elders and ancestors.

Peter J Clair is one of nine artists presented in The Art of Mi’kmaw Basketry (FORMAC publishing), which was released in 2023.

Peter was among the first to break new ground in the 1980s when public interest was rising in Indigenous contemporary art. As a master sculptural weaver he uses natural materials to create thought-provoking pieces using traditional and contemporary forms. He often uses Black Ash, willow and other tree barks.

Peter is also a poet and fiction writer. As our guest speaker, he will present in English, with occasional commentary in Mi’kmaw.

(photo: Peter J Clair. Credit: Ramona Clair)

Peter J Clair was born in Elsipogtog, New Brunswick in the Nigmag territory of Signigtog. He now lives in Tobique, New Brunswick. He has worked for much of his life at the traditional craft of ash splint basket making. He has created original, contemporary designs for a variety of uses. His work has been presented across Canada, New York and the Dominican Republic.

(Photo: Detail from “Cusp” exhibition (1993), a commentary on the many suicides that happened in Elsipogtog at that time. In Peter’s hand and on the drum, explorations of Tjigagmatemagen – a Mi’kmaw musical instrument (2019). Credit: Holly Brown Bear)

 

As part of our free admission, community evening, we want to help our communities.  On Tuesday nights, we welcome donations to Feed Nova Scotia to help our communities, and curb food insecurity, together!