The UNB Art Centre with the assistance of artsnb’s artist-in-residence program welcomes Wolastoqiyik indigenous artist Samaqani Cocahq-Natalie Sappier to the UNB Art Centre for a four-month residency in 2019. Her first public presentation will be held on Sept. 17 at 6 pm, Feasting the Work: Blessing of Sacred Space and Artist’s Talk.
This residency at the UNB Art Centre will be the first since the 1960s and will provide an aboriginal artist with the opportunity to complete a major new work. Following the success of her first production Finding Wolastoq Voice, which premiered at Theatre New Brunswick in 2018, Samaqani Cocahq-Natalie Sappier will continue to explore the themes of identity, language, memory and voice. This latest production will be premiered Nov. 7 in Memorial Hall auditorium.
Located in the East Gallery at Memorial Hall, Samaqani Cocahq-Natalie Sappier will transform the gallery into Acomuwikuwam, a “sacred place of stories and songs” where she can interact with a team of elders, dancers and musicians to tell the stories of her people and to realize her latest project. The residency will also provide access to the general public to meet and talk with the artist as a means to learn about Wolastoq culture and history.
A graduate of the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, Samaqani Cocahq-Natalie Sappier is perhaps more well known for her paintings and designs. Recently a collaborative project with Wolastoq elder Opalahsomuwehs- Imelda Perley, saw a dream realized in the presentation of 13 Moon Healing Drums at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in July 2019. She has designed and produced a number of murals throughout New Brunswick including the mural for Meduxenekeag School in Woodstock, the Mi’kmaq-Wolastoqey Centre at UNB, the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design in Fredericton and Negotukuk Health Centre in Tobique First Nation. She is currently a member of the Wabanaki Artist Collective.
This young and multi-talented artist has been receiving recognition for her theatrical work Finding Wolatsoq Voice which has toured the country with stops at the Prairie Theatre Exchange in Winnipeg, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, and the Native Earth Dance Festival in Toronto. Samaqani Cocahq-Natalie Sappier began her foray into theatre in 2013-14 with TNB’s Young Company and has participated in a number of workshops and performances including Symphony New Brunswick, Solo Chicken Productions and the Atlantic Ballet Theatre’s Ghosts of Violence in 2017.
Samaqani Cocahq-Natalie Sappier’s voice provides a first-hand experience of what it is like to be an indigenous youth in Canada. Her performances give members of the public an opportunity to learn about Wolastoq stories, songs, language and dance. It will allow them to bear witness and share the emotional journey. In light of the recent Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations, it is projects like these that promote healing and a greater understanding of the injustices of the past in an effort to move toward a brighter future together.
The UNB Art Centre invites you to witness the first public sharing of Wolastaqiyik Indigenous Artist Samaqani Cocahq’s (Natalie Sappier) new work-in-progress, entitled MAW, in Memorial Hall’s auditorium on Nov. 7, 2019, from 6:30-8 pm. This will be presented in collaboration with movement director Possesom Paul. An artist's talk will follow the performance.
MAW is a compilation of stories inspired by family, community and ancestral landscapes. MAW is a two-spirit being who travels in different times, entering different bodies and different landscapes unknowingly on a quest for understanding community history, upbringing and the magic of land connection.
MAW will be part of the Native Earth Performing Arts Weesageechak Festival in Toronto on November 20. After being workshopped at this festival, MAW will be performed at Memorial Hall on Dec. 5, 2019.
The UNB Art Centre gratefully acknowledges the support of artsnb to assist with the residency of Samaqani Cocahq (Natalie Sappier) and the production of her new work.
The UNB Art Centre invites you to the final public viewing of Stories of MAW: The One Time Maw was Born from Tall Tree Woman, a work-in-progress by Wolastaqiyik Indigenous Artist Samaqani Cocahq’s (Natalie Sappier) in Memorial Hall’s auditorium on Dec. 5, 2019 at 6 pm. This performance is in collaboration with Possesom Paul and Dawson Sacobie.
The first presentation of Stories of MAW at Memorial Hall in early November received a standing ovation from an enthusiastic full house. Samaqani Cocahq then took Stories of MAW to Native Earth Performing Arts Weesageechak Festival in Toronto to continue its development with a range of respected indigenous mentors and theatre professionals. Now in its 37th year, Native Earth Performing Arts is Canada’s oldest professional Indigenous theatre company. Dedicated to creating, developing and producing professional artistic expressions of the Indigenous experience in Canada, they encourage the work of artists like Samaqani Cocahq.
Stories of MAW is a compilation of stories inspired by family, community and ancestral landscapes. Stories of MAW is a two-spirit being who travels in different times, entering different bodies and different landscapes unknowingly on a quest for understanding community history, upbringing and the magic of land connection.
The UNB Art Centre gratefully acknowledges the support of artsnb to assist with the residency of Samaqani Cocahq (Natalie Sappier) and the production of her new work.
Welcoming Wolastoqiyik Indigenous Artist Samaqani Cocahq-Natalie Sappier!
Location: Memorial Hall, 9 Bailey Drive, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton.
Hours: Mon-Wed & Friday - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. / Thursday - 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Admission is free to members of the public. Everyone welcome!
Marie Maltais, Director
(506) 453-4623
ARTCNTR@unb.ca
Join our mailing list
