Meagan Musseau: A’tukwaqnm wjit wtoqan (story about her skirt)
This exhibition presents a powerful collection of skirts by artist Meagan Musseau, celebrating the unique stories and voices of five Mi'kmaw women. Rooted in relationship, her practice blends innovative material approaches with a sustained commitment to kinship and shared authorship, moving far beyond a solitary studio process to centre the power of story.
Through textile and photography, Musseau offers an intimate visual exploration of femininity, motherhood, and community. Each skirt—crafted from cotton, ribbon, and leather—emerged from conversations with Stacey Howse, Leah Doucette, Jenelle Duval, Darlene Joe, and Kim Musseau, whose memories, teachings, and joys shape the foundation of the designs. The garments stand as expressions of presence, each reflecting the voice of the woman at its centre. Photographs taken in places of personal meaning deepen the ties between each woman, her story, and the land that holds her. Together, the skirts and images celebrate the artistry of connection and the enduring strength of Mi’kmaw women.
Guest Curator: Jenelle Duval
Mi’kmaw translator: Ida Denny
About the Artist
Meagan Musseau is a L’nu interdisciplinary artist from Elmastukwek, Ktaqmkuk (Bay of Islands, Newfoundland). Working across a range of mediums—including basketry, beadwork, textiles, land-based activations, and digital media—Meagan creates artworks that explore themes of kinship, harvesting, and relational connections to territory. Her bodies of work have been transformed into innovative solo exhibitions including weave braid stitch at Grenfell Art Gallery (NL), Material Harvesting at Ociciwan Contemporary Art Centre (AB) and Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (NS), These Marks on Land at TRUCK Contemporary Art Centre (AB), and Pi’tawkewaq at grunt gallery (BC). Meagan graduated from Grenfell Campus Memorial University of NL (BFA, 2013) and College of the North Atlantic (Visual Arts Diploma, 2008). Her practice has been recognized by local arts community awards such as Emerging Artist of the Year, Corner Brook (2013), and Artist of the Year, VANL-CARFAC (2018) as well as on a national platform by being long-listed for the Sobey Art Award, Atlantic region (2021).
About the curator
Jenelle Duval is a Mi’kmaw curator and multidisciplinary artist from Seal Rocks – St. George’s, Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland), now based in St. John’s. For more than a decade, her work has centred on the preservation and revitalization of Indigenous cultural expression across curatorial and musical practice. At The Rooms, she has curated landmark exhibitions—including Weljesi (2023), a major retrospective of visual artist Jerry Evans, and Tekweywinen tel Weljesultiek / Be With Us In Our Joy (2024–2025), a multidisciplinary showcase of Wabanaki artists—that are reshaping how Indigenous art is experienced in the Atlantic region. A founding member of the ECMA-winning group Eastern Owl, Duval has performed nationally and earned a Canadian Folk Music Award nomination for her songwriting. Her contributions have been recognized with the Atlantic Presenters Association Achievement Award and the YWCA Women of Distinction Award, reflecting her deep commitment to community, culture, and her home in Ktaqmkuk.
Image: Meagan Musseau, Stacey sitting on a wood pile in Miawpukek, 2025, photography wearing a custom skirt.