ST. PAUL – A multimedia art installation was unveiled on March 25 at the St. Paul and District Arts Foundation. The art exhibit, ‘With All My Heart,’ created by Artistic Director Joshua Wolchansky, explores the creative processes of four artists through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wolchansky encourages visitors to interact with items at the exhibit, to take their time to experience, explore, and “To really immerse yourself in the stories of these incredible artists who have opened up their hearts to you, and who have written a love letter of what it is to be back with their community.”
The exhibit is open to the public until March 31.
Rain LaCroix
Among the artists included is Rain LaCroix, a fashion designer and a drag artist originally from the Red River Métis Settlement in Manitoba, and who now resides Edmonton.
LaCroix’s exhibit not only includes a mirror of the artist’s creative space but also several outfits created with intricate designs.
“The main message that I would like to portray is just... love each other and embrace each other,” said LaCroix. “And listen... people need to just listen to people. Because we've all gone through so much, and it hurts if people don't acknowledge that.”
For LaCroix, a big part of being an artist coming out of the pandemic is getting back “out of my comfort zone,” and learning how to live in the real world again.
Emmet Michael
In another room is Emmet Michael's space. Michael is a musician based in Edmonton, who created the space identical to his home. The cozy, warm lighting and the dim atmosphere felt comfortable and relaxed.
Its walls were covered in photos of friends and family, and CDs and records were visibly on display.
“It is a very vulnerable space and art is a very vulnerable practice. So, that's what makes it really magical. In art, you share things that you maybe wouldn't feel comfortable sharing otherwise, and that's why I think it's so beautiful,” said Michael.
Through the pandemic, “I was re-evaluating my whole life... and really fell into a depression,” he admitted. Then he started live-streaming and his community around the world supported him through it all, making him realize that “what I’m doing matters and people care about what I’m doing.”
Michael composed a song for the exhibit called “No Love Lost,” that regardless the distance between people who love each other, there is no love lost along the way, and “we can maintain connection.”
Randi Lynn Nanemahoo-Candline
Randi Lynn Nanemahoo-Candline is a youth care worker, interpreter, and a powwow dance instructor from Lac La Biche. Her space mirrors her own apartment, incorporating her journey of motherhood and as an artist.
Her space had a deliberate “chaotic” feel to it, with toys scattered about, a reflection of her journey as the mother of her one-year-old daughter. For the exhibit, she made beads and powwow regalia for her daughter and nieces, explaining that her goal was to start her own powwow family.
“I didn't get to come from a big powwow family,” said Nanemahoo-Candline, as she held her baby in her arms. “So, I said, ‘Why can't I start my own powwow family?’”
When asked for the message she hoped to convey with her space, her eyes lit up. “I consider this my love letter to the youth,” she said, smiling at her baby.
“The youth are our most valuable resource in our future. I wanted to invest in them to become the person I wished to become when I was growing up.”
Anna Pratch
St. Paul’s own Anna Pratch, who is a dancer and a dance choreographer among her many other accolades, was also among the four artists. She filled her space with some of her personal belongings, making the space like a living room.
“A lot of this stuff is from my own apartment that I ended up pulling out,” she explained. “It really is a great summary of what my ideal creative space looks like.”
As she walked into the room, she beamed as she looked around. “The goal was to try and create a visual representation of the joy artists... [and] people felt when they got to reunite after the pandemic.”
For Pratch, “I just remember the joy bubbling over. I looked like a maniac in the dance studio,” she said, recalling “just doing jumping jacks” in the sheer joy of it. “Having a group of people and the energy being shared in the space and the music, with us all hanging out doing what we love.”
“That whole concept of what that joy looks like... was the inspiration for the project,” she said. Joy, she reiterated, was her motivation and inspiration for her space.
Pratch is also the new executive director for the St. Paul & District Arts Foundation.
