Monique Bedard (Aura)
Monique Bedard (Aura)
I·wát Atste
Artist Monique Bedard is inspired by storytelling and the healing journey, individually and as a community. She combines painting, drawing, beadwork and collage to examine stories that are connected to the mind, body and spirit. She aims to address the pain of intergenerational trauma as well as intergenerational healing to communicate experiences from the inside out. By unearthing her own stories, she is able to strengthen connections where the process creates awareness and understanding; this experience is ultimately part of the healing journey.
“The gel transfers are fragmented photos of our ancestors and the land. This represents how colonization disconnects us from our family and Mother Earth. The florals and the beadwork are the strength that brings us back home.”
About The Artist
Monique Bedard (Aura) is a Haudenosaunee (Oneida) artist who grew up in a small town in Southern Ontario. She has been deeply and passionately involved in visual arts for 13 years.
In 2006, she began a formal study of visual arts at Fanshawe College in London, Ont. After three years, she moved to Alberta to complete an undergraduate degree at the University of Lethbridge. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts (Studio Art) degree in 2010 and returned to Ontario where she began instructing group art lessons with children, youth and adults.
Monique currently resides in Tkaronto as an artist, workshop facilitator and muralist.
She is inspired by the healing journey: “I have the passion for community engagement, and collaboration where stories are shared through the art making process. It is my aim to empower people by focusing on our strengths. My goal is to build art projects that lead to a deep sense of understanding while connecting through unity, collaboration and transformation.”