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BeatuyIsMedicine
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Bulrusher @McCarter Theatre. Photo by Lawrence E. Moten III
Bulrusher, Vera, Boy @McCarter Theatre, Photo by Lawrence E Moten III
Madame, Logger, Schoolch in Bulrusher @McCarter Theatre, Photo by Lawrence E Moten III
BULRUSHER 76
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The Skriker
Realm Magazine

Hello! I'm so glad that you're here.

Aanii, ndinaawamagaanadog!

Maygabow Ogidajew Kwe, nindizhinikaaz. Gaa-waabaabiganikaag + Um’oha, ndoonjibaa, Migizi ndoodem.

Hello, relatives! My name is Mountaintop Standing Woman; Valerie St. Pierre Smith is my English name. A proud descendant of White Earth, I currently reside on the unceded lands of the Um’oha people. I am Eagle clan.

​

A two-spirit mischief maker, multi-disciplinary designer/artisan, scholar, writer, and healer, I have an eclectic creative background including fashion, costume, hand drawn digital textile design, and site specific installations.  Known for my use of color, texture, and upcycling, I love blending contemporary digital technologies with the rich visual traditions of my Ojibwe ancestors. Creating pieces that are both innovative and deeply rooted in cultural heritage, my creative philosophy centers around the knowing that fashion and adornment is a dialogue through time, relationships, cultures, and place; pieces where ancestral traditions blend with contemporary designs and technology, while celebrating sustainability and an indigenized future.

 

"Beauty truly is medicine."

- Valerie

 

My multi-disciplinary creative practice explores, and 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.  Some highlights of my design work seen across Turtle Island include Calgary Fashion Week, McCarter Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre, Sea World: San Diego, the National Museum of the American Indian, Pilobolus Dance Theatre, and Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.

 

A bit of a unicorn, my very active creative research and scholarly practice focuses on indigenizing and decolonizing western design practices, paradigms, and pedagogy.

​​​​

Interested in indigenizing/decolonizing work?

 

Check out ​Publications and Press for some of my writings

+ follow me on Instagram for the most current musings, news, projects, and other nifty happenings.

 

Let's connect:​​

 

@valeriestpierresmith

​​

Miigwech agindan- thank you for reading!

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