Woodland Art lessons taught by Joshua Pawis-Steckley invite students to expand on their artistic talents

Connected North Impact Series blog prepared by Jennifer Corriero

When Ojibwe artist Joshua Pawis-Steckley reflects on his experience as a content provider with Connected North, he talks about how amazed he is by the talent out there in all the youth he interacts with.

“I’m always just so surprised when I see their work. It’s awesome to be able to teach them and even though sometimes we are drawing a simple bear, these kids are just so good at following along… Sometimes they go ahead and create their own patterns.” Joshua

“Great session! Joshua is a fantastic instructor with a very calming presence. The class really enjoyed this session and loved seeing examples of the Woodland art style. They felt very inspired and continued to make their own creations after the session ended.” Connected North Teacher

One of the collaborations we are especially grateful for, is Joshua’s role in illustrating a book by Jason Jones based on Elder teachings from Treaty 3 Territory. The children’s book published by TakingITGlobal is called Imma Baawitigong: There at The Bridge and it is about ceremony and offering a respectful land acknowledgement in the Rainy Lake area.

In his short video clip about his involvement with Connected North, Joshua speaks about this project as a memorable moment as part of his involvement with us.

“Working with CN has expanded my view on how educational experiences and distance learning can be taught. I feel like Connected North opens up plenty of opportunities for the students to meet people from all over Turtle Island that they would normally not have ever connected with. I think that’s just really amazing… It just gives them a whole new perspective on the world.” Joshua Pawis-Steckley