Meet the artists
Jackie Traverse
"I grew up in the area of the North End and Main St. and I have an uncle who still resides in the area. I used to volunteer in the art group that met on Saturdays at Siloam Mission. I believe that art can heal and help people with expression that they may not otherwise know how to express. 80 percent of homeless people are First Nations; these are my people and I believe in second chances."
- Jackie Traverse, Artist
Jacqueline "Jackie" Traverse was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is Ojibway from the Lake St. Martin First Nation. Jackie began drawing as a child and was inspired from a field trip to the Wahsa Gallery when she was 13 years old. It wasn't until she was 32 years old that she decided to submit a portfolio of her works to the University of Manitoba where she studied Fine Arts and graduated with a diploma in May of 2009.
Jackie's achievements include two stop motion hand-drawn animation short films under the mentorship of Jessica MacCormack in partnership with Crossings Communities Art Project. Her first animation short film entitled "Two Scoops," was about the loss of her two siblings to the 70s scoop child welfare system. "Two Scoops" was nominated for two awards at the Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival for Best New Talent, and second for the Oscar Lathlin Award. "Two Scoops" was screened in different film festivals in Toronto, New York and Nepal. The other stop motion short film Jackie produced was entitled "Empty" -a short film about the loss of her mother due to alcoholism; and her denial and coming to terms with the understanding of death.
Jackie was one of the ten Aboriginal artists representing Manitoba in the recent Vancouver Olympics Art Auction where she painted three mixed media artworks for the event.
- Jackie Traverse, Artist
Jacqueline "Jackie" Traverse was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is Ojibway from the Lake St. Martin First Nation. Jackie began drawing as a child and was inspired from a field trip to the Wahsa Gallery when she was 13 years old. It wasn't until she was 32 years old that she decided to submit a portfolio of her works to the University of Manitoba where she studied Fine Arts and graduated with a diploma in May of 2009.
Jackie's achievements include two stop motion hand-drawn animation short films under the mentorship of Jessica MacCormack in partnership with Crossings Communities Art Project. Her first animation short film entitled "Two Scoops," was about the loss of her two siblings to the 70s scoop child welfare system. "Two Scoops" was nominated for two awards at the Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival for Best New Talent, and second for the Oscar Lathlin Award. "Two Scoops" was screened in different film festivals in Toronto, New York and Nepal. The other stop motion short film Jackie produced was entitled "Empty" -a short film about the loss of her mother due to alcoholism; and her denial and coming to terms with the understanding of death.
Jackie was one of the ten Aboriginal artists representing Manitoba in the recent Vancouver Olympics Art Auction where she painted three mixed media artworks for the event.
Jordan Miller (photo by Dave Swiecicki)
"A person's life can take a turn for the worst at any moment. One day, someone may find me on the street or someone I know and i would want Siloam Mission's help as they do great work for the community. I am a low income artist and there is no money for me to give but I consider donating the proceeds from the sale of my art, my way of helping the homeless. Art is both my passion and how I make my living, and I recognize that programs for artists are also important. Art is therapy and can help individuals with mental illness or just with expressing of who they are and what their struggles are. This is why I am proud to donate my artwork to the Colours of Hope Fundraiser for Siloam Mission."
- Jordan Miller, Artist & Co-owner of Cre8ery Gallery and Studio
Jordan Leigh Miller graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (honours) in 2002 and the Manitoba Arts and Cultural Management program in 2008. She was the founder and President of Outworks Gallery & Studio (2004-2006) and became the director, co-founder, and co-owner of Cre8ery Gallery and Studio with Shawn Berard (2006). In 2009, Jordan was nominated as a "Future Leader of Manitoba (arts)" and was invited to be a keynote speaker at a Northwestern Ontario Artpreneur Conference. This year she was nominated for a Winnipeg Arts Council Award of Distinction and curated an exhibition at St. Norbert Art and Culture Centre. Her latest exhibition, "Common Duality" was in June of 2006 with Shawn Berard. For more information, past exhibitions, and detailed bio, please visit www.jordanlmiller.com.
Lives are consumed by work, deadlines, clocks, calendars, lists, by mundane details. We are overwhelmed by stress. With striving for perfection, working to live, and living for work, there is no time to relax. How can we say "no" to obligations that arise? Working instead of sleeping, struggling with negativity, battling to overpower self-destructive thoughts--dreams of success have taken over our lives. There is a heaviness--pressures to be better or the best. We lose ourselves as work escalates out of control.
- Jordan Miller, Artist & Co-owner of Cre8ery Gallery and Studio
Jordan Leigh Miller graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (honours) in 2002 and the Manitoba Arts and Cultural Management program in 2008. She was the founder and President of Outworks Gallery & Studio (2004-2006) and became the director, co-founder, and co-owner of Cre8ery Gallery and Studio with Shawn Berard (2006). In 2009, Jordan was nominated as a "Future Leader of Manitoba (arts)" and was invited to be a keynote speaker at a Northwestern Ontario Artpreneur Conference. This year she was nominated for a Winnipeg Arts Council Award of Distinction and curated an exhibition at St. Norbert Art and Culture Centre. Her latest exhibition, "Common Duality" was in June of 2006 with Shawn Berard. For more information, past exhibitions, and detailed bio, please visit www.jordanlmiller.com.
Lives are consumed by work, deadlines, clocks, calendars, lists, by mundane details. We are overwhelmed by stress. With striving for perfection, working to live, and living for work, there is no time to relax. How can we say "no" to obligations that arise? Working instead of sleeping, struggling with negativity, battling to overpower self-destructive thoughts--dreams of success have taken over our lives. There is a heaviness--pressures to be better or the best. We lose ourselves as work escalates out of control.
Patrick Ross
Patrick Ross is from Sioux Valley Dakota Nation Reserve. A self-taught artist, his works posses detailed sensitivity, deep emotional tone and serenity. A first showing of his art was at The Graffiti Gallery in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Since then, he has collaborated with local filmmaker Ervin Chartrand to produce the critically acclaimed documentary "First Stories" which was featured by The National Film Board of Manitoba.
Patrick has a strong passion to be involved in many aspects of his culture and community. With the imagination of a true artist, he continues to push the limits--constantly creating new ways of expressing both the traditional and contemporary.
Patrick's works have an appreciative audience. His artworks can be found in collections around the world. Former governor general Michaëlle Jean and past grand chief Phil Fontaine are very proud to display Patrick Ross's art in their own private collections.
Patrick has a strong passion to be involved in many aspects of his culture and community. With the imagination of a true artist, he continues to push the limits--constantly creating new ways of expressing both the traditional and contemporary.
Patrick's works have an appreciative audience. His artworks can be found in collections around the world. Former governor general Michaëlle Jean and past grand chief Phil Fontaine are very proud to display Patrick Ross's art in their own private collections.
Josie Hofer
"Growing up in a Hutterite community in southwestern Manitoba, I have never known hunger, thirst or homelessness and I believe it could be that way for everyone. Food and shelter are a right, not a privilege. Donating my artwork is something I can do to affirm the humanity and rights of all people, and I am grateful for this opportunity to contribute. Great things have been accomplished through united, creative efforts."
-Josie Hofer, Hutterite Artist
Josie Hofer was born on July 23, 1984 in Brandon, MB and lives with her family and their tabby cat, Galaxy at Green Acres Colony near Wawanesa. Josie teaches math and German at Green Acres Colony School. Some of her hobbies include painting, drawing, quilting, gardening and reading.
Josie grew up at Spring Valley Colony near Brandon where her playground was the oak trees and hills of the Assiniboine River Valley. One of her favourite activities were Sunday afternoon walks through the woods with her family picking saskatoons, blacks, and chokecherries, or just crunching through a blanket of crisp autumn leaves eating sunflower seeds.
Just before her 7th birthday, Spring Valley split up into two Colonies. Her family moved to the new place, Green Acres, where there was nothing but buildings, dirt for lawns, and shipping pellets for sidewalks. Thankfully, all of her friends had also moved to Green Acres and they spent all seasons exploring and playing in the surrounding creek and river bottoms. Josie simply missed the hop-skip-and-jump distance to her grandparents who stayed in Spring Valley.
Since at a very young age, Josie always loved to draw. In primary school, it was girls with smiles covering their entire faces jumping rope in flowerbeds; in middle school, it was girls out of magazines and comic books. Josie regrets that none of those drawings were Hutterian girls.
In high school, Josie took acrylics and drawing under the tutelage of Corrine Wilton and Carmen Hathaway. For most of those three years, she painted the Souris River Valley scenery around Green Acres Colony and drew portraits which turned out to at least resemble their subjects. Josie prefers painting with acrylics, though she doesn’t hesitate to try new mediums. Most of her paintings now portray some aspect of Hutterite life. Children are her favourite subject and show up in most of her paintings. For Josie, there are just so many memories to paint!
-Josie Hofer, Hutterite Artist
Josie Hofer was born on July 23, 1984 in Brandon, MB and lives with her family and their tabby cat, Galaxy at Green Acres Colony near Wawanesa. Josie teaches math and German at Green Acres Colony School. Some of her hobbies include painting, drawing, quilting, gardening and reading.
Josie grew up at Spring Valley Colony near Brandon where her playground was the oak trees and hills of the Assiniboine River Valley. One of her favourite activities were Sunday afternoon walks through the woods with her family picking saskatoons, blacks, and chokecherries, or just crunching through a blanket of crisp autumn leaves eating sunflower seeds.
Just before her 7th birthday, Spring Valley split up into two Colonies. Her family moved to the new place, Green Acres, where there was nothing but buildings, dirt for lawns, and shipping pellets for sidewalks. Thankfully, all of her friends had also moved to Green Acres and they spent all seasons exploring and playing in the surrounding creek and river bottoms. Josie simply missed the hop-skip-and-jump distance to her grandparents who stayed in Spring Valley.
Since at a very young age, Josie always loved to draw. In primary school, it was girls with smiles covering their entire faces jumping rope in flowerbeds; in middle school, it was girls out of magazines and comic books. Josie regrets that none of those drawings were Hutterian girls.
In high school, Josie took acrylics and drawing under the tutelage of Corrine Wilton and Carmen Hathaway. For most of those three years, she painted the Souris River Valley scenery around Green Acres Colony and drew portraits which turned out to at least resemble their subjects. Josie prefers painting with acrylics, though she doesn’t hesitate to try new mediums. Most of her paintings now portray some aspect of Hutterite life. Children are her favourite subject and show up in most of her paintings. For Josie, there are just so many memories to paint!
Untitled artwork of Lana Winfield
"I believe that homelessness can happen to anyone. I think it's important to support Siloam Mission. I hope that by donating my art to Siloam Mission, it will help a person in need."
-Lana Winfield, Artist
Lana Claudette Winfield is a mixed-media abstract artist. She is currently working with bees' wax and other materials.
Lana Winfield had studied art at the University of Manitoba. She obtained her Art Diploma in 2007.
The artist has been involved in various group shows which include: Martha Street Studio; GOSA Gallery; and Out works Gallery. She had also donated various pieces to charity.
Lana's art deals with topics including women's issues; body image; global warming; depression; religion; and history. She also draws from her own life and culture.
Lana is Metis and grew up in a very transient lifestyle, moving across three prairie provinces. Her family comes from a small Metis town in Northern Manitoba called Burrows, near Red Deer Lake. Lana Winfield currently lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
-Lana Winfield, Artist
Lana Claudette Winfield is a mixed-media abstract artist. She is currently working with bees' wax and other materials.
Lana Winfield had studied art at the University of Manitoba. She obtained her Art Diploma in 2007.
The artist has been involved in various group shows which include: Martha Street Studio; GOSA Gallery; and Out works Gallery. She had also donated various pieces to charity.
Lana's art deals with topics including women's issues; body image; global warming; depression; religion; and history. She also draws from her own life and culture.
Lana is Metis and grew up in a very transient lifestyle, moving across three prairie provinces. Her family comes from a small Metis town in Northern Manitoba called Burrows, near Red Deer Lake. Lana Winfield currently lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
*The featured artists on this page will have their works auctioned on February 24th, 2011 during the Colours of Hope Auction Night Event. Tickets to this event are now available at Hull's Family Bookstores, 372 Graham Avenue and at The Edge Gallery on 611 Main Street. Tickets are sold at $30 each. All ticket sales will go to support Siloam Mission.
To buy your tickets in advance, please send an email to Desiree.
To buy your tickets in advance, please send an email to Desiree.