Isabelle Wilkinson

Soapstone connects me to my mother as she was born in Churchill where the snow would come down by the truck full, coating everything in white, where it was common to take sleds to work instead of your car, where soapstone carvings made by the Inuit are plentiful. This connection to my mother makes me feel like I am carrying on my mother's past into my work. Soapstone connects me to my identity of being Metis and the immense pride that I take into my everyday life. I take pride in art as it is important to me. I learned to carve soapstone when I was only little by an old grandfather who was hard of hearing then and is even worse now, I was also taught by his wife to do wood carvings when I was young too. Now that he is getting much older, he is going to be stepping down as the head of soapstone carving and I am taking after him and teaching the youth how to carve soapstone. So, being able to connect with my mother who raised me and my own heritage and honoring the two people who taught me to carve soapstone allows me to feel a connection in a small community.