Kelly Duquette is a Metis artist, Lawyer and Metis Nation of Ontario Youth Council representative (region 6) from Atikokan, Ontario. She has a four-year Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (BFA) and a Juris Doctorate Degree (JD) from the University of Ottawa. Kelly was introduced to her Metis heritage in her childhood following decades of silence within her family about their Metis identity. Kelly attended post secondary with the intention of learning about Metis history, stories and experiences, and understanding her place within her community and the silence she was a product of. Over the years, Kelly has found artistic inspiration in these discoveries, connecting to her Métis culture and documenting her personal discoveries through her artwork.
The Work
Following over one-hundred years of silence, assimilation and oppression within Canadian society, Metis peoples have begun to re-emerge and reclaim their culture. This unique time in our history has become an inspiration behind my artwork. Painting has allowed me to reflect on these issues relating to my hidden identity and my experience as a Metis. The incomplete elements of my work represent the loss of our language and traditions, while the intervention of abstract beadwork reinforces our strength and resilience as a distinct rights-bearing people.
My testimony to the Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples
