Staff
Sue Anne Whitecrow of Seine River First Nation is the artist of the month at the Fort Frances Public Library Technology Centre.
A display of her handmade, beaded leather items, such as moccasins, pouches, gloves, mitts, vests, and jewellery, will be up until the end of October.
Whitecrow has said that as a youth, she was inspired by her parents and her grandmother’s teachings.
“In the spring, it was a time of tanning deer and moose hides by a smudgy fire,” she recalled in her artist’s message at the library.
“The smell of fresh-tanned leather reflected on new things to be made,” she wrote.
“Watching my mother and grandmother cutting into the leather, sewing, and beading bags inspired me,” Whitecrow added.
“Their wisdom and knowledge guided me in this craft.”
When Whitecrow became a mother, she made her first pair of moccasins for her newborn daughter, and it was at this time her interest in the craft began.
“Working with leather and beads became my passion,” she noted.
“I taught myself how to use the tools and create my own designs—sometimes I would have dreams of colours or visions of what I need to make.
“When I am beading or sewing, my thoughts take me to special places, memories of the past, or of the unknown,” she added.
“My desire for crafting and designing crafts has brought me many compliments, as well as being recognized as an artist across this nation,” Whitecrow wrote.
If you’re interested in Whitecrow’s leather items, contact her at 1-807-270-4961.
