Day One Too

This painting is a reminder of the Haudenosaunee Creation Story. Sky woman, on the day of creation, grabs a strawberry plant as she falls out through a hole in the sky. She also grabbed a tobacco plant. The white dots painted behind the strawberry remind the artists of beads, an important part of contemporary Haudenosaunee life.

Award-winning multidisciplinary artist Shelley Niro is a true multimedia artist, working across various media, including photography, filmmaking, painting, sculpting and beadwork. A member of the Six Nations Reserve, Turtle Clan, Bay of Quinte Mohawk, Niro’s work is known for challenging stereotypes and clichés about Native communities, and Native women in particular. Her work has won several awards, including the 2017 Scotiabank Photography Award and the 2017 Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts. Her films It Starts with a Whisper, Honey Moccasin, Kissed By Lightning and her short The Shirt have all won awards at various film festivals, and the National Museum of American History named her a fellow in 1997.