Community Strength Tote Bag
$27.99
This large canvas tote bag features the Community Strength design by Ojibway artist Simone McLeod. It has two cotton handles, it is fully lined with an inside pocket and is enclosed with a zipper.
- Size: 20″ x 15″ x 6″ (50.8 cm x 38.1 cm x 15.2 cm)
About the artist
Cultural Background: Ojibway, Pasqua First Nation, SK
Simone McLeod, born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1962, belongs to the Name doodem (Sturgeon clan) of the ᓇᐦᑲᐌ (Nakawē-Ojibwe Anishinaabeg). She is a member of Pasqua First Nation in Saskatchewan. Simone, who feels a strong spiritual kinship with her mother’s people, the Azaadiwi ziibi Nitam, or Poplar River First Nation of Manitoba, is a versatile artist: not only does she paint; she is also a talented poet, writer, and photographer. Simone McLeod descends from a long line of Ojibwe Midewiwin healers on both parental sides. Her traditional Anishinaabe name is Aki-egwaniizid, or Ahki-ekwanîsit, which means Earth Blanket, or All That Covers the Earth.
When asked about her painting process, Simone said, “Painting was something that I often thought of when I was a small child, but I felt that it was not the right time. I believed that I had to wait until I could find something that had a lot of meaning to me. Each painting contains a piece of my soul. I have a strong faith in humankind and my paintings are silent prayers of hope for the future.”
Although she is considered a Medicine Painter working in the tradition of the Canadian Native School of Woodland Art, Simone definitely holds a unique place in the art heritage of her People.
