Fond du Lac Arts

Multidisciplinary artist Moira Villiard loves the image of the hand. In the fabric piece, "Resist and Reclaim," she embroidered hands on a denim jacket stitched together with handwork made by the women in her family, past and present, evoking the invisible labor of women across the centuries.

Creators and Guests

BA
Producer
Britt Aamodt

What is Fond du Lac Arts?

Fond du Lac Arts is a series exploring the stories, creative expression, and craftsmanship of Fond du Lac artists from a range of disciplines.

This project is produced by AMPERS, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities in partnership with WGZS, the Radio Voice of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

INTRO: You are listening to Fond du Lac Arts: Community through the Creative Arts.

NARRATOR: Moira “Miri” Villiard grew up on the Fond du Lac Reservation, enraptured by by the sights and sounds of nature. And by beautiful, elaborate pictures in books.

[sound element: nature sounds]

MIRI VILLIARD: I always knew I was going to be an artist. When I was younger, I really felt like I didn't have any stories that were interesting. And then there's a certain point in adulthood where I just realized that I actually did have a story.

NARRATOR: There was the hardship of seeing a family member struggle with mental health. That would eventually find its way into a multimedia collaborative project.

MIRI: The “Waiting for Beds” project was one of my more like direct experiences with trying to tell a story that was deeply personal and vulnerable.

NARRATOR: A recent project, she took bits of needlework created by female relatives—a great great grandmother’s beaded bag, baby clothes and regalia made by grandmas, a sister’s beadwork—and stitched them on a jacket.

[sound element: stich work, sewing]

MIRI: I'm gonna embroider hands all over it. Hands are part of creating so many things. So the piece is kind of about that invisible labor too. Of like women throughout history.

[sound element: Music]

NARRATOR: And woven throughout her work is the Anishinaabe culture and nature—in paintings and murals that have a story and meaning personal to her but that become a part of other people’s lives too.

MIRI: That’s one of the things I love about art. You just send it into the world and it has a life beyond you.

OUTRO: Fond du Lac Arts is produced by AMPERS and WGZS, the radio voice of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.