Miska Creative Society celebrates Indigenous art and culture with exhibit and fundraiser

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What began as two siblings’ high-school dream of creating an artistic company has become the Miska Creative Society, a non-profit dedicated to promoting Indigenous art and culture across Western Canada. 

A year after its founding, co-founders Jenna and Jesse Gouchey are celebrating their work with the Hamburger Soup Art Show and Fundraiser on Dec. 7 and 8 at the Vines Den in Vancouver.

The event will feature more than 100 works from local Indigenous artists aiming to make an impact on the city. Jenna hopes the exhibition will attract more local involvement in the project. 

“Funding is hard to come by, especially when you’re just getting started, for non-profits,” she says. “Once you’ve been established for a few years, there are more doors open. We try to keep all of our workshops free or as close to free as possible.”

Those interested in the art can purchase it on-site or participate in the silent auction, which will be held online during the event. Details on how the auction will work will be provided on-site.

The event will have an opening ceremony featuring Indigenous dancers, a blessing from an Elder, along with free hamburger soup and bannock. There will also be free community workshops in watercolour, acrylic, spray painting, and bleach-art apparel, which will have T-shirts available for those who don’t bring their own. 

Attendees can take part in a community mural project using provided paint pens. A kids area with wood cutouts to paint will also be on site. 

This event aims to celebrate all the work the Gouchey siblings have done but also the people who helped them get to this point. They also hope to shift perspectives on the art and culture the Indigenous community offers.

“It’s very easy when you’re younger to get discouraged from doing art as a profession. A lot of people are like, ‘Oh, it’s a waste of money to go to art school,’” Jenna says. 

“But everything that you look at has been done by an artist, [like] branding and television, just about everything that’s been bought or sold has an artist attached to it in some way. It’s important for kids and adults alike to realize that it’s something viable that you can do.” 

Through the Miska Creative Society, the Gouchey siblings host art workshops of all kinds, from spray murals and shoe paintings to watercolours. Their core mission is to integrate cultural elements into art.

“We specialize in making workshops to suit [whichever] community we’re going to,” Jenna says. “Most of our work right now is based in Vancouver, but we also do some work throughout B.C. in smaller areas [and] smaller Indigenous communities.”

The founding siblings hope to undertake ambitious projects in the coming years, such as partnering with suppliers to send large art supply packages to remote communities with limited access. 

For more information about the non-profit and the Hamburger Soup Show, visit www.miskasociety.com.