Sow to Sew Speakers’ Series: Oakley Rain Wysote Gray

Join us for an artist talk by Oakley Rain Wysote Gray as part of the "Sow to Sew Speakers’ Series" on Wednesday, March 12 - 1 PM at the Treaty Space Gallery.

Oakley Rain Wysote Gray is from Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation. She identifies as Trans Two-Spirit and uses the pronouns she/her. As a Mi’gmaq Couturier, Oakley’s work spans between her historical replication of Mi’gmaq artifacts and culturally relevant couture pieces. Her creative vision caters to decolonizing the fashion realm by producing work that draws inspiration through a Mi’gmaq lens. Her latest collection, Mesiat’l (infected), highlights the stories of her ancestors while displaying the impact of systemic racism and colonization.

"My current focus is researching haute couture techniques throughout the last century; with the knowledge I gather, my following collection will focus on blending Eurocentric sewing through a decolonized Mi’gmaq perspective. The Collection will feature eight Mi’gmaq legends, and each garment will focus on a mythical being. Other work I’ve been researching is looking at anthropological text describing pre-contact and post-invasion Mi’gmaq clothing. Deciphering these descriptions has given a lot of information on the construction of historical regalia and many theories that I will be experimenting with in the near future."
- Oakley Rain Wysote Gray

The Sow to Sew Speakers’ Series is part of the Sow the Sew Project at NSCAD University, which is funded by a generous donation from The Hilary and Galen Weston Foundation.