Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine - From Children’s Books to Murals: Moira Villiard on Examining and Bridging Disconnection Through Art

From Children’s Books to Murals: Moira Villiard on Examining and Bridging Disconnection Through Art

01/02/25 • 28 min

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine

In this episode, we talk with artist, public speaker, and community organizer Moira Villiard.

Moira, a Twin Cities-based visual artist and Fond Du Lac direct descendent, is a 2023 McKnight Foundation Community-Engaged Practice fellow and a 2024-2026 Bush Fellow. We chat with her about her current projects, Waiting for Beds, a traveling exhibition that explores the experience of waiting while in crisis, and a soon-to-be-released children’s book about the Ojibwe practice of prescribed fires that she illustrated.

Moira shares about her study of human rights, creating work for her inner child, and her rumination about the social-political bubbles many of us live in. For Moira, art is a venue to elicit these disconnects and ultimately birth understanding between people so that harmful histories don’t repeat. She also describes the process of creating art at the scale of mural, finding artistic courage from her father, and incorporating animals that cross her path into her art.

Tune in for an engaging conversation about Moira’s intentionality behind her creative practice.

Producer Hosts: Leah Lemm & Cole Premo
Editor: Britt Aamodt

In this episode, we talk with artist, public speaker, and community organizer Moira Villiard.

Tune in for an engaging conversation about Moira’s intentionality behind her creative practice.

Producer Hosts: Leah Lemm & Cole Premo
Editor: Britt Aamodt

Previous Episode

The Gift of Listening: Colleen Baldrica on writing, being guided, and mentoring others

In this episode, we chat with author and retired school counselor Colleen Baldrica.

Colleen, a White Earth Nation citizen, authored the book Tree Spirited Woman in 2006. During the pandemic, she recorded the audio version, so that her grandchildren could have an archive of her voice when they’re older.

Colleen shares the experience - central to her story - of being directed towards a life of writing as a young single mother. She describes how this spiritual experience shaped her personal framework and inspired her book. She also talks about her current joy of mentoring new authors, teaching writers to develop the courage to promote their work, and participating in a women’s writing group.

Tune in for an engaging conversation about the gift – and lesson – of listening with another talented Indigenous writer!

Next Episode

Mattie Harper DeCarlo on Making Change in Indian Country Through Philanthropy

In this episode, we talk with grantmaking officer and former educator and historian Mattie Harper DeCarlo, PhD.

Mattie, a Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe citizen who grew up on Leech Lake Reservation, works in philanthropy at the Bush Foundation, focusing on Indigenous communities. She speaks with us about the nuance of supporting 23 Native nations through philanthropy, how to provide context to non-Native donors on what investment can look like, and her affection for Ojibwe language revitalization.

Mattie also shares how journey of learning about herself and the history her people, and how it helped her fostered a sense of awe for the beauty of Ojibwe community.

Tune in for an engaging conversation about investing in Indigenous self-sustainability through philanthropy!

Producer Hosts: Leah Lemm & Cole Premo
Editor: Britt Aamodt