Native Women in the Arts (NWIA) is pleased to announce Zoey Therriault as the recipient of the 11th Annual Barbara Laronde Emerging Artist Award. Therriault will receive a $5,000 cash prize in recognition of her emerging artistic practice and commitment to cultural reclamation, community, and the continuation of Indigenous artistic traditions.
The Barbara Laronde Emerging Artist Award recognizes outstanding emerging Indigenous women and gender-marginalized artists including Status and Non-Status First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists from Northern Ontario. The award acknowledges the unique barriers faced by many artists working in Northern and remote communities and provides financial support, professional development, connections, and opportunities to advance their artistic careers.
Celebrating Zoey Therriault
An emerging Anishinaabe/Odawa artisan from Aroland First Nation, Ontario, Zoey Therriault has relations in Sagamok Anishinaabek and Wikwemikong Anishinaabek. Her artistic practice includes beadwork, moccasins, and other traditional crafts, which she approaches as part of an ongoing journey of cultural reclamation.
Each piece is created with gratitude to the land and respect for ancestral knowledge, carrying cultural meaning as well as personal story. Therriault understands her artistic practice as a way of nurturing connections between people, community, and the natural world. Through her work, she hopes to share beauty, belonging, and continuity with those who encounter her creations.
Zoey Therriault was selected from a number of nominees from across Northern Ontario. NWIA’s Artistic Director, Quach George remarked: “On behalf of the Board and staff of NWIA, we are thrilled to present the Barbara Laronde Emerging Artist Award to Zoey Therriault and recognize her commitment to the development of her artistic practice. Zoey’s work demonstrates the importance of cultural reclamation, connection, and the continuation of ancestral knowledge through contemporary artistic practice. We are honoured to support her journey with this $5,000 award and look forward to seeing her artistic practice continue to grow. A huge congratulations to Zoey!”
To support the next generation of emerging Indigenous women and gender-marginalized artists through the Barbara Laronde Emerging Artist Award, please consider donating to the Barbara Laronde Award.
