SASKATOON – Award-winning poet and photographer Tenille Campbell (BA’07, MFA’12) has been selected as the next Indigenous Storyteller-in-Residence for a 12-week residency with the University Library at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), beginning in January.
“I’m incredibly excited to be working on campus with community, and to see where these next few months takes us,” said Campbell. “I’m still finetuning the overarching art plan, but I’m currently being inspired by Polaroids, acts of friendships, and beadwork.”
Campbell has been described as a “Daughter of Northern Saskatchewan” with Dene and Métis roots and hails from English River First Nation, with ties to Batoche, Duck Lake and St. Louis. Currently, she resides in Saskatoon and is pursuing her doctorate in English at USask.
Campbell is an experienced visual storyteller with an ability to craft a compelling visual narrative that resonates with diverse audiences. She is also a professional photographer and owner of sweetmoon photography. Campbell has a background in creative writing and has published two poetry books: #IndianLove: Poems (2017) and Nedí Nezų (Good Medicine) (2021), and recently stepped into the art of beadwork. With such varied skillset and professional background, Campbell aims to challenge and expand the campus community’s understanding of storytelling.
As a part of Campbell’s residency, she plans to focus on the themes of friendship and joy, through workshops on beading, photo portraits and self-love poetry. Campbell’s residency will culminate in a celebratory exhibit of all the works created during her residency for the university’s Indigenous Achievement Week in March.
To help bring Campbell’s storytelling to a wider audience, the University Library is partnering with the Saskatoon Public Library to feature her workshops at various Saskatoon Library branches.
“I’m excited to welcome Tenille as the library’s fourth-annual Indigenous Storyteller-in-Residence,” said Charlene Sorensen, interim dean of the University Library. “She’s an innovative artist who will bring a fresh and exciting perspective to this important residency through her poetry and photography, one that will enrich the library and the campus community. I look forward to experiencing and learning from Tenille’s creative work.”
Following last year’s performance-based residency with Bruce Sinclair, Campbell’s selection as the 2024 Storyteller-in-Residence supports the residency’s aim of uplifting Indigenous voices and promoting intercultural understanding and story-sharing between and among Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.
The Indigenous Storyteller-in-Residence is made possible through the generous support of University Library donors, and the programming efforts of the Saskatoon Public Library.
— Submitted by USask Media Relations
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