In Anishinaabemowin, wazison means “nest.” As nests are where birds can grow and make a home, the name is perfect to encapsulate the mission Angela Jason has for her new arts venue Wazison Arts.
“Here’s a safe space where you can experiment and allow yourself to be bad at [art] in a judgment free zone,” says Jason. “It’s good to explore that creative side of you and just have that little bit of quiet time to sit down. It’s kind of meditative and some time is spent not worrying about things. Giving ourselves a little break here and there is kind of important.”
An Anishinaabekwe artist from Sheshegwaning First Nation on Manitoulin Island, Jason is a multi-discipline artist working with acrylic paint, digital, and stained glass.
A creative kid growing up with little access to art supplies, Jason turned to her school and community as ways to explore her artistic ventures.
“Living on Manitoulin Island, the nearest stores were three hours away and in a low-income family, not a lot of extra income for art supplies. So pretty much whatever I could access was usually just like a pencil or paper,” says Jason.
“My elementary school classes had access to that kind of stuff, but we also did a lot of art in my community. They would have workshops for making things like star blankets, quill boxes, mittens, moccasins, and beading. So there was always that connection to the cultural side of the art.”
When it came time for Angela to leave her home nest, she went on to study Outdoor Recreation, Entrepreneurship, and Education at Lakehead University. However, with the responsibilities of being a student, her creative side kind of went on the back burner in order to manage her “adult” responsibilities.
“In 2015, I was in my Masters of Education and started to paint regularly. That’s when I’d say I started doing art, not full time, but more regularly than I had been,” says Jason. “It was sort of a later start, but it’s never too late to get into something. You need that balance. You can’t just always do academics or work. You need some kind of escape.”
From there, Jason has since become a full-time artist and her work has been displayed in places such as the Summer Artists Walk in Marina Park and Ahnisnabae Art Gallery. While mostly known for stunning paintings, Jason has since taken up another artistic pursuit since 2019, stained glass. Like building a nest, Jason is building a community of artists at Wazison Art.
“One of the things that I want to do with my space is not just promote the classes and workshops that I’m doing, but also what other organizations are doing. The space is very open, very airy. Everything is on wheels and can be moved. So this will pretty much open up to be an indoor artist walk.
For Jason, art is important to share and recognizes that it is hard enough to do on your own. So why not build a community space for artists of all mediums and experience to come together and appreciate the work.
An appreciation Jason hopes those who want to try out the workshops and art, learn to carry forward.
“Art is weird. You can do it as a hobby or a profession, but it’s so subjective about who “makes it.” We’re our own worst critics with what we make. Being surrounded by people who can look at your work and say “no, that’s really good” helps you as an artist and increases your own confidence. We all have to start somewhere. So if there’s this community that you know is there that you can come to and ask questions and people being open and willing to share their knowledge, then why not create this community? I think by
having a place that is kind of recognized as being open and a place to come and learn with the classes too, that’s important for people to come in and try something new, and they don’t have to always get it overnight.”
Wazison Arts is located at 1075 Carrick Street or online at www.wazisonarts.ca
