The Barbara Laronde Emerging Artist Award recognizes outstanding emerging Indigenous (Status and Non-Status First Nations, Métis, Inuit) artists from Northern Ontario who are women or otherwise gender marginalized (transfeminine, transmasculine, non-binary, gender non-conforming, Two Spirit). NWIA recognizes the specific barriers that many Northern artists face, and we aim to support Indigenous artists from Northern Ontario by creating connections, professional development, and performance opportunities through our programming initiatives.
This year’s award winner is Amber Waboose, who will receive a $5,000 prize and be featured on our website in the coming weeks.
Each of the shortlisted artists—Emily Granville, MJ Singleton, Grace Swain, Chevaun Toulouse, and Colleen Toulouse—will receive a $1,500 award in recognition of their outstanding work and artistic promise.
Winner: Amber Waboose
Amber Waboose (Odemin Mkwaa Kwe) is an Ojibwe artist from Batchewana First Nation, Ontario. She practices various art forms, including porcupine quillwork on birchbark and two-dimensional and diverse arts. Through her quillwork, Amber creates both jewelry and visual art. Nature often inspires her designs, featuring birds, flowers, berries, bees, moths, fish, and various animals. She harvests and processes all the materials used in her quillwork. Being in nature gives her peace and a deep connection to her culture. Amber’s work is grounded in the philosophy that everything in the universe is interconnected. A common theme in her paintings is interconnection, depicting the lands, water, sky, and stars. After her introduction to quillwork, you will see elements such as birch bark and sweetgrass in her artwork. Her paintings draw inspiration from her personal experiences, ceremonies, and dreams.
Shortlist: Emily Granville
Emily Granville is an Odawa-Cree musician from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island. After attending Cambrian College for Music Performance in piano, Emily is now graduating from the Bachelor of Music program at Laurier. Emily has an interest in composition, collaborative performance, and ethnomusicology from an Indigenous lens. Most recently, Emily has performed, directed, produced and composed their own piece through the Paprika Theatre Festival, performed at the Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards, and volunteers as a piano teacher for the Community Music School of Waterloo Region. Emily is excited to be furthering their education in the MA Ethnomusicology program at The University of British Columbia in the fall.
Shortlist: MJ Singleton
MJ Singleton is a two-spirit Ojibwe artist from Eagle Lake First Nation in the Kenora District. Their artistic repertoire consists of painting, digital illustration, beading and sewing. MJ’s designs for the university’s orange shirts for Truth and Reconciliation Day 2023 and 2024 raised over $54,000 for the Orange Shirt Society, striving to amplify Indigenous voices, and igniting meaningful dialogue towards reconciliation. MJ is a fourth year student at University of Toronto Mississauga, double majoring in Psychology and Criminology, Law & Society.
Shortlist: Grace Swain
Grace Swain is an Indigenous advocate, artist, and communications professional from Swan Lake First Nation on her father’s side (Treaty One, MB) and Wiikwemkoong First Nation on her mother’s side (ON). She creates Woodland-style art inspired by her Anishinaabe roots and is passionate about breaking down barriers for Indigenous artists. Grace curates art for Café 4 Good in Sault Ste. Marie, supporting Indigenous youth, and serves on the Creation Advisory Circle for Indigenous Youth Roots (IYR).
Shortlist: Chevaun Toulouse
Chevaun Toulouse is an Anishinabekwe from Sagamok Anishnawbek and a member of the Ginoozhe (Pike) clan. Growing up in Sagamok gave her an interest in and respect for the environment, as much of her youth was spent trying to catch turtles and snakes in the swamp. Whether snatching snakes or catching turtles, it was on the land interacting with reptiles and amphibians that she found her passion. She recently graduated with an Honours BSc in Indigenous Environmental Studies and Biology from Trent University, building on previous education in conservation, Indigenous environmental leadership, and naturalist research.
Shortlist: Colleen Toulouse
Colleen Toulouse is Anishinaabe from Sagamok Anishnawbek. She is an educator, journalist, and a proud grandmother of two boys. Colleen has written numerous articles for local newspapers, been published in magazines and books, and enjoys writing poetry and short stories. Her most recent story, The True Reflection of the Magpie and the Seed is featured in Indigenous Voices of Canada: Heart, Hope and Land, published by the International Human Rights Arts Movement Literary Magazine Press. Colleen values First Nations stories as a source of learning and understanding her culture. She continuously embraces her life-long learning journey.
We once again extend our heartfelt congratulations to the winner and shortlisted recipients of this year’s Barbara Laronde Award. If you’d like to support the next generation of emerging Indigenous women and gender-diverse artists, please consider donating to the Barbara Laronde Award.