D'Arcy Moses is contemplating a move to new pastures.
Like many others, he lost everything in the wildfires that ripped through Enterprise last summer. But unlike others, he is a First Nations fashion designer who has achieved international recognition for his work. He had reopened his design business at Winnie CadieuxSA国际影视传媒檚 shop in the community about a decade before the fire SA国际影视传媒� dealing first with Covid, then floods, then fire.
Moses lost his patterns, his equipment, materials, drawings and precious irreplaceable pieces he had traded with other couturiers throughout his professional life.
His history started more than 35 years ago and gradually saw his creations paraded down the runways of Milan, Italy. It earned him awards, including the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, the Canadian Griffe DSA国际影视传媒檕r Award, and the Dubonnet of Canada MenSA国际影视传媒檚 Fashion Award, to name some. To add to his resume, he teaches at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and sits on a board there as he did with the NWT Arts Council.
He has dedicated his life to promoting and supporting Indigenous artists. Not easy for a Dene man who is a Sixties Scoop survivor with roots in the Northwest Territories and battled ridicule and racism from people both in and outside fashion houses. He gave another voice to First Nations people and inspired youth.
His efforts and persistence made it easier for Indigenous people to break into and work in this highly competitive field.
Though his breaks came in Toronto, where he enjoyed recognition and success, the North called him home. He worked as a senior administrative officer in Wrigley while pursuing his love of design. He then made the decision to work at his trade in Enterprise in 2015, a beautiful destination between Yellowknife and major centres to the south until the little community burned to the ground.
He'd prefer not to leave the territory because of the fire and the loss, but more specifically because, like so many Northern artists, he does not have the support he needs. Though he is the faculty head for the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Indigenous Haute Couture Digital Embellishments Program and though his design work is enjoying a growing demand at better hotels in Calgary, he has to flaunt his work at fairs and sales up here just like any other artist. Creating art is one thing; selling it is another, and it takes valuable time and resources. Plus, finding a labour pool has proved to be another challenge.
Few places to display work
The NWT has some of the best artists in the world with work such as MosesSA国际影视传媒� displayed at airports, museums and art centres, yet outside of the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre and a few galleries in Old Town, there are few places where our creators can show, speak or read their work. NWT Arts does what it can with the money it has, but that falls far short of what's given to other industries that do not highlight the culture, beauty and talent of Northerners in the same way. The NWT is rich in ways too often ignored locally, yet some of these people are invited to speak, show and represent the North all over the world.
Last month, the citySA国际影视传媒檚 visitor centre boasted upwards of 400 tourists a day coming from around the world chasing auroras. Yet on those days when they had extra time, they literally had nowhere to go and nothing to do, even though they were hungry for everything Northern.
The visitor centre is enjoying a bit of a break now but by the first of December the tourism industry will start up again and go full tilt for almost six months with hundreds of people filling every hotel space. It is a prime opportunity for Northern artists to show off their talents and cultural skills, but there are few spaces for them to do that.
A treasure chest of Northern skills and talents is being overlooked and the pride that Northerners of all ages could enjoy is being ignored. Promoting our arts community affects everyone's self-esteem.
In the meantime, Moses says if there was a push in Yellowknife to heighten the profile of Northern artists, he might stay. But failing that, he may have to leave the North and move to a province that better appreciates and supports Northern talents.
The North should be capitalizing on the natural resources that walk among us in the form of designers, writers, musicians, film producers and spoken-word artists instead of chasing them away due to a lack of support. They are a healthy economic boom in the waiting. Lifting them up lifts up the North.
-Nancy Vail is a longtime Yellowknifer concerned with social justice.
