Aanii, ndinaawamagaanadog! Maygabow Ogidajew Kwe, nindizhinikaaz. Gaa-waabaabiganikaag ndoonjibaa, Migizi ndoodem. Hello, all of my relatives! My name is Woman Standing on Mountaintop; Valerie St. Pierre Smith is my English name. I am a descendant of White Earth, and I am Eagle clan.

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As an interdisciplinary designer-artist, my creative practice is deeply influenced by my lived experiences as a mixed-blood Annishnaabe kwe; focusing on the confluence of healing, social justice, traditional Anishinaabe teachings, and the power of identity. My creative philosophy centers around the knowing that dress and adornment is a dialogue through time, relationships, cultures, and place; pieces where ancestral traditions blend with contemporary designs and technology, reimaging sustainability and an indigenized future.

 

A bit of a unicorn, I also engage in a very active creative research and scholarly practice which centers indigenizing and decolonizing western design practices, paradigms, and pedagogy.

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Interested in indigenizing/decolonizing work? Drop me a note,  vsmithdesign@gmail.com, and be sure to follow @valeriestpierresmith on Instagram.​​