Epekwitk Quill Sisters: Etleoogoeiog (Talking Together/ Dialogue)

Curated by Emma Hassencahl-Perley and organized by the Beaverbrook Art Gallery.

Epekwitk Quill Sisters: Etleoogoeiog (Talking Together) showcases the work of the Epekwitk Quill Sisters—a collective of Mi’kmaw women artists: Kay Sark, Melissa Peter-Paul, and Cheryl Simon. These artists are committed to preserving and advancing the practice of Mi’kmaq porcupine quillwork, a tradition that is deeply rooted in their cultural heritage. Since 2019, they have fostered an artistic community that operates on Mi’kmaq principles of mutual support, respect, and connection to both human and non-human beings.

Their art is a conversation with the creations of their ancestors—women whose roles as mothers, aunties, and caretakers are inseparable from their artistic expressions. The exhibition is more than a tribute to the evolution of quillwork; it celebrates the interwoven bonds of family and sisterhood, the artistic legacies passed down through generations, and the vibrant histories of Mi’kmaq quill art.

Opening Reception

Celebrate our Spring Exhibitions!
Saturday, May 10^th, 1:00 – 3:00 pm

Please join us on May 10th from 1:00 – 3:00 pm for a relaxed reception to celebrate MSVU Art Gallery’s spring exhibitions, Epekwitk Quill Sisters: Etleoogoeiog (Talking Together/ Dialogie) and Together Apart/ Under One Roof. Several participating artists will be present. Light refreshments will be served. All are welcome to attend!

MSVU Art Gallery is committed to making its events accessible to everyone. Information on access, location, and interpretive services can be found in the About section of our website. Please get in touch with art.gallery@msvu.ca by May 1st with any access needs, requests, or inquiries.

About the Curator

Emma Hassencahl-Perley is—wolastoqiyik artist to Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nation) in New Brunswick. Specializing in beadwork, murals and digital illustration, Emma’s art reflects her identity as a woman and Wolastoqwiw citizen of the Wabanaki Confederacy. Her work draws on the rich visual traditions of her nation, with themes that explore water, Wabanaki feminisms, and the Wabanaki double-curve motif – a symbol representing relationships, nationhood and community. These motifs form a cultural aesthetic foundation in Emma’s practice, linking ancestral Wabanaki material culture with digital storytelling techniques.

In addition to her work as an artist, Emma is the Curator of Indigenous Art at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton and teaches Indigenous Art History in the Wabanaki Visual Art Program at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Mount Allison University (2017) and a Master of Arts in Art History from Concordia University (2022).

About the Artists

Kayla Sark is a Mi’kmaq woman from Lennox Island, Epekwit. Kay was accepted as an apprentice to Mi’kmaq Quill Art in 2016 and learned the traditional harvesting practices and quilling techniques. She went on to share the art form with her children and then the broader community through workshops which she has been instructing for five years. She and her partner share in harvesting porcupine quills, sweet grass and birch bark, making her quill art a launching point for a shared cultural experience for her family. Once she learned the basic technique, Kay quickly developed a unique style drawing upon personal inspiration rather than being influenced by more traditional designs. Kay enjoys the creative process and starts with inspired by different colour combinations. She begins each piece by quilling a foundational star, then incorporates the colour combinations to bring balance to the work and provide the unique detail. Kay gravitates to the eight-pointed star and feels a connection to that particular design as it has become such a symbolic representation of the Mi’kmaq nation.

Cheryl Simon is a Mi’kmaq woman from Epekwitk (PEI), living in Halifax, who works with porcupine quills, birchbark, spruce root, and sweetgrass. She fell in love with Mi’kmaq quillwork as a child, inspired by her mother’s collection of quill boxes. After returning to Mi’kma’ki in 2007, she learned the insertion technique and launched her business, Mi’kmaq Quill Art, in 2011. Cheryl teaches quillwork workshops and has been dedicated to community education for over ten years. She took on her first apprentice in 2015 and opened a studio in Epekwitk in 2016 for three more apprentices. While focusing on traditional quillwork, she developed a method to accurately depict petroglyphs after visiting sites in Nova Scotia, blending traditional designs with petroglyph techniques in her pieces to enhance details. Recently inspired by contemporary Mi’kmaq art, she started creating vibrant designs that expand beyond quill box lids. Cheryl teaches her children to quill and is eager to pass on the intricacies of traditional design, valuing the strong connections that quillwork fosters as the community grows to include younger generations.

Melissa Peter-Paul Melissa is a Mi’kmaw woman from Abegweit First Nation on Epekwitk (PEI). She grew up surrounded by cultural teachings and a family of basket makers, expressing her art through regalia and beadwork from a young age. Her exposure to Mi’kmaq art led her to quillwork, a traditional skill of her maternal grandfather’s ancestors. In 2015, she began an apprenticeship with Mi’kmaq Quill Art, focusing on traditional techniques and studying cultural resources from museums. Quillwork involves inserting dyed or natural porcupine quills into birchbark, finished with quills, sweetgrass, or spruce root. Throughout her apprenticeship, Melissa learned about harvesting materials and traditional design geometry. After completing her apprenticeship, she helped establish a community of quillers to promote the artform and collaborate on projects. Melissa launched her career with her first solo exhibit at Receiver Coffee in Charlottetown in 2019. Heavily influenced by 20th-century Mi’kmaw quillwork, she is supported by her family in harvesting and is dedicated to passing the art to her two sons and the wider community.