Faces of Antyx: Tamara
Our Feature Friday is one of our Loop Crew artists, Tamara Lee-Anne Cardinal! Tamara is a mixed-media artist and community support worker whose work continues to be a reflection of the teachings she receives along her journey; it is an invitation for others to become a part of the process, to partake in its making. In her Q&A interview, she delves into her hopes for the Loop project, the connection to her arts practice, and more.
If you want to find out more about the Loop project and stay updated with future community engagement opportunities, check out the Loop website at closetheloop.art.
Q&A Interview with Tamara
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself!
A: Tansi! I am a sister, daughter, auntie, dog-mom, fun-loving, passionate artist and community worker who enjoys working with our Elders, exploring new adventures and creating with my hands! I've been a visitor to Otoskwanihk (Cree translation for Calgary) for almost a decade and am currently pursuing a second bachelor's degree in Psychology.
Q: You are a part of Antyx’s new Loop Genesis Sculpture Project! What do you hope to accomplish being a part of the Loop project?
A: I am looking forward to working within the diverse community that surrounds the Genesis Centre so that we can learn from each other, build new understandings, share in food, culture and the arts!
Q: What does the Loop project mean to you?
A: The Loop project represents a renewed hope for our future and for the generations to come. It is an opening for various ways of knowing to be considered, experienced, expressed and merged respectively with different understandings as we are all living, breathing, working and playing on this land.
Q: What connection do you have to your art and/or work?
A: My arts practice revolves around being an active member of our community, to share knowledge, techniques and ways of working with materials and each other. As both an Artist and a Youth and Cultural Support Worker through Diamond Willow Youth Lodge, my role coming into this project is two-fold, combining these two elements of my life's work.
Q: Can you tell us about a role model who has inspired your career or your life in general?
A: I have many role models, many are from my own family. One of the teachings I've learned from our Elders is that with any teacher, you take the good and leave the bad. Nobody is perfect.
Q: What is your biggest motivation?
A: My biggest motivation in life, which informs what I involve myself with, is considering the future for my sister, as well as my nieces and nephews. They are to me, the most precious gifts in the world that help me visualize the effects that my work can have on the world.
Q: What is your dream project or goal?
A: Over the years, an idea I first had before attending AUArts was to create an artistic hub for urban/rural Indigenous youth to learn in a drop-in style from various creators in the fields of visual, musical, and digital arts. This idea has stuck with me until now but has evolved to include traditional languages, games, and ceremonies, offered in a culturally and LGBTQ2SIA+ safe and appropriate way.
