Our symbolic icon and it's meaning...
The bear is a powerful symbol of healing and brotherhood among the First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities. The bear symbolizes healing, wisdom, and strength in the connection to the land through the use of the traditional medicines.
All nations have their respective representations of what each colour means to them.
Our bear is comprised of the 5 colours used among our Indigenous communities. Yellow is East - a place of new beginnings. Red is South - the place of our childhood and of learning. Black is the West - representing healing and the past. The Cree will use the colour blue in the West. The bear itself is White, which is the North - the place of great age, of wisdom and of introspection and deeper thought.
This bear is symbolic of our support for access to art supplies in the remote community education sector, and represents our efforts to help families in struggling First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities.
The Art For Aid Project was developed to collect new and gently used art supplies for remote Canadian Indigenous schools and communities. We use the sale of our unique spiritual and thought provoking art to raise money for shipping and operations. We are supported by individuals, organizations and businesses that seek to improve living and learning conditions in remote community schools.
Please support our initiatives. Help us to make a difference in the lives of people who often struggle with poverty and inadequate teaching tools in their schools and community programs.
Our Mission Statement:
The Art For Aid Project works to support Canadian First Nations, Inuit and Metis art education programs through art supplies, awareness and fundraising efforts. We work to to connect Indigenous youth to art, the endangered teachings, traditional techniques and knowledge of the culture through teachers, Elders and community. We seek to accomplish this by ensuring art supplies are in remote schools and communities.
The Project:
We collect new and gently used art supplies. Through the sale of Colleen's art, the shipping and operations budget are replenish. Where possible, we try to procure transportation for them to reduce shipping costs.
Art exploration in schools and communities has always been vulnerable to cutbacks. Art is a beautiful form of storytelling and record keeping - it allows the creator to purely express a thought or connection, and allows the viewer to enjoy and feel moved by that expression. A thing made beautiful or given energy by its creation becomes a vehicle for the transportation of the message. We support this effort by raising awareness of issues being faced today by remote Indigenous communities through teaching, presenting at events, highlighting how people can help, and of course, by sending in art supplies.
One of the long-term goals for this program is to ignite and inspire the curiosity of Indigenous youth to learn new and existing art forms. We hope to give schools and community program facilitators the art supplies to help them express their stories, personal messages and expand on their creative skills with ample tools to choose from.
Please support this work by purchasing art by Eastern Metis artist and Art For Aid Project founder, Colleen Gray. You can also support this work by sharing our social media posts and donating art supplies to this cause, and by considering one of our educational programs for your school or organization.
* The Art For Aid Project is a program under I Love First Peoples and can issue official receipts for donations through their organization. Please contact us for more information on how to support this important work.
Updated: June 2019
