About

The Thunderbird Sisters Collective

The Thunderbird Sisters Collective started in 2017 as a collective of creative Indigenous, First Nation, Metis and Inuit, women united in Indigenous culture. We would attend community events, Indigenous events and markets to display and sell our art pieces which included but was not limited to paintings from regional Indigenous artists, Indigenous clothing designs such as ribbon skirts and Inuit clothing, porcupine quill earrings, Metis beadwork, and fibre art. 2017 was a successful year for us as we were housed in the Kabeshinan gallery on Sussex Drive. Following that success we decided to register as a non-profit organization.

At the present time we are housed at the Nectar Gallery located on MacKay street in Ottawa. Prior to the pandemic, we’d make every effort to attend community events to show our creations. One of my favourite programs at that time was our Be The Artist! program where we would set up an area with supplies to give children and youth the opportunity to create and dream…to Be The Artist! while their caretakers shopped.

For almost two years now we have also been running the Beading with Patsea! program from Nectar gallery until we had to move it to Zoom following the arrival of Covid. We look forward to getting together again in the kitchen…in the beading circle. Everyone is welcome to this circle.

In 2019 The Thunderbird Sisters Collective partnered with Miq’maq/Irish artist Carmel Whittle and her dream – the No Borders Art Festival – and as they say the rest is history. The No Borders Art Festival is a very successful event. Since then together we have hosted many Indigenous events including Bringing the Land to the City, On Our Land and Podcast #83 to name a few.