‘My pottery is for anyone’
Mi’kmaq artist mixes culture, heritage and motherhood into her creations
The intersection of art and life and its inescapable cultural influences are a touchstone of the traditional pottery Nancy E. Oakley creates.
Oakley is a potter from Eskasoni. Despite her recognition as a potter, however, Oakley started her artistic journey on a different path. She attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M., as a photography major.
Although she took several ceramics classes, it wasn’t until traditional pottery was introduced into the repertoire that Oakley took notice. Her training also includes studying at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, taking courses in weaving, jewelry, photography and pottery.
She was raised in Mashpee, Mass., where her father was Supreme Sachem (grand chief) of the Wampanoag Nation. After art school, she decided to move to her mother’s community of Eskasoni to better understand her Mi’kmaq heritage.
Culture is inextricable and her art is a reflection of who she is, she explains. Oakley was raised immersed in tradition and cultural practices, which are evident in the pieces that she produces.
She thoroughly enjoys “researching and trying to recreate Mi’kmaq pottery,” which includes “harvesting and processing local clays, hand building cooking pots, and traditional firings.”
Far beyond simply an occasional pastime, Oakley admits that her art can be allconsuming.
“I have been doing art my whole life in one form or another. It is more than a hobby,” she says.
While immersion in the creative pottery process offers the benefits of being mindful of her emotions and mental health, it can be difficult to strike a balance between real life and art. It’s easy to get caught up in the work and spend too many hours, or too many days, creating.
At the same time, her art has provided unique opportunities for Oakley as a single mother, along with her six children.
“We were able to travel across Canada and the United States doing shows, showing my children as much of the world as I could,” she explains.
The theme of motherhood also serves as inspiration for her most beloved pieces.
“I tried to incorporate my thoughts and feelings on motherhood while integrating myths and different mediums such as black ash basketry and beadwork,” says Oakley.
Like motherhood, she notes that the process is similarly complex and multifaceted with lessons to be learned — even with the projects that do not work out as planned.
Experimenting with clays, tempers and firings can be frustrating, she admits.
“Sometimes, weeks or months’ worth of work just doesn’t work out and I end up with nothing tangible to show for all that work but experience and knowledge (but no pots),” she says.
Enriched with her hard work and cultural influences, Oakley is adamant that anyone can appreciate that which she produces.
“My pottery is for anyone. It always means a lot to me when someone connects to my work.”
Oakley offers her work for sale at a number of in-person shows, and it can also be found at select locations in the United States, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, including Colouratura Art Gallery & Chocolate Shop, Two Macs Gallery, Fortress of Louisbourg, Periwinkle Cafe, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and others.