Indigenous artists help inspire Yellowknife students through 'Messy Book Program'

An Indigenous-led art program that started in Nunavut a few years ago is now being offered at a Yellowknife school.

The Arctic Rose Foundation first launched the Messy Book Program in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, in 2018. Now, the Ontario-based non-profit has partnered with the YK1 school division to bring the program to a larger community for the first time.

The program runs four days a week after class at Yellowknife's Mildred Hall School. It allows students to come and create art using an array of media, sometimes working with established Indigenous artists. 

Maggie Davies is an academic support teacher at Mildred Hall. She said the program is about more than art.

"[It's a] great opportunity for the kids that's free and accessible to anybody who wants to join, in is this safe, open, artistic, creative space that kids can come and gather. I just think kids need lots of opportunities like that. So it's awesome," Davies said.

The program also offers work and leadership opportunities for high school students. Older students can be trained and hired as mentors who aid in the program, and learn valuable life skills.

"They're provided that opportunity to generate those skills within themselves, to realize what they have, to have some income," said Jane Rudolph, program manager for the Arctic Rose Foundation.

"They have that confidence and want to do it again, but also in what they choose to do in staying in school, completing their education and moving on."

Indigenous artists are brought into the communities to help students explore through different media. Leela Gilday, a Dene singer-songwriter who worked as a guest artist, said free art programs like the Messy Book Program are vital.

"A lot of [students], if they come from Indigenous families, have experienced colonial trauma and have things that they should be expressing," she said.

"To hold that safe space and have that program available, it's beautiful. And they're full of brilliant ideas. That's the thing, is that given the opportunity, kids will just dive right in and they just flourish."

Gilday worked with students over a week, helping them write a song of their own. She said the students were enthusiastic, helping brainstorm ideas for a song which they planned to record as a group. 

Gilday wasn't working alone. Visual artist Carla Rae Taylor is Gilday's sister and also worked with students over the week. Together the two of them worked with students to create vision boards for the students to share their passions while also working on music.

"It was really great to work with my sister who's a visual artist this year, because we've kind of done a dual project on self reflection and something that's really important to them [the students]," Gilday said about the opportunity.

Taylor said the response from the students has been "wonderful," and she is happy to help the young students explore themselves, their hopes, and their dreams.

There's more to it for Gilday and Taylor. The two are former students at Mildred Hall, and Taylor expressed gratitude for being able to come back to her old school and share her passion and inspire hope within the next generation.

"It's been amazing to come back to the city and just kind of share my art skills and help create a safe space for the youth, the kids, to be a place where they can come and express themselves and be creative. It's just so nice to be a part of that," Taylor said. 

The Messy Book Program now runs in several communities across the N.W.T. and Nunavut, and organizers hope to expand to more communities in the future.