JORDAN BENNETT

Illustrations for Summer Reading, p. 49

“The starting point for many of my pieces is quillwork from Mi’kmaq makers. I like to incorporate my nation’s visual culture through colours and designs. For example, the opening piece of the summer reading series was inspired by Marni Jackson’s memoir. She describes cli s ‘daubed with lichen and yellow streaks of sulphur.’ Along the bottom of the illustration, there’s a step motif and, within it, a section of a circle striped with yellow and green. A lot of folks might think my illustrations are abstract. But for myself and my community, this has been a way of storytelling for so long.”

Jordan Bennett is a multidisciplinary artist of Mi’kmaq descent. His work has been displayed at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York and the 2015 Venice Biennale.