Jay Joseph
Wet’suwet’en
BIO
Jay Joseph is Wet’suwet’en hobbyist/freelance artist living on unceded Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and səl̓ilwətaɬ land in British Columbia, Canada. They are a 2024 Capilano University 2D Anim/Visdev graduate and member of the Likhts’amisyu (Fireweed) Clan.
Jay has had a passion for artwork and animation ever since they were a child and has been learning their own nation’s formline art under family guidance since 2021. One of their passions is drawing formline designs that blend traditional elements with modern media and franchises, such as video game and animation characters. They also enjoy creating formline designs that feature non-traditional or unconventional animals and creatures. Driven by a deep passion for animation and artwork, Jay has chosen to maintain a healthy boundary between their creativity and income. This decision has led them to pursue a career as a freelance artist rather than entering the industry.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Red Dress Shirt Design
For my design, I chose the mourning dove. The mourning dove of North America has many names, and its native territory covers almost the entirety of this continent, with its nesting grounds reaching up into parts of BC and Alberta. Since it is such a widespread bird, I found it fitting to represent how Indigenous people across this country, this continent, and the world are connected.
With its name, the mourning dove is often associated with loss and grief, which connects to the grief of those murdered and missing, as well as their loved ones. But they are also symbols of peace and new beginnings, and with these traits, I wanted to connect back to the murdered and missing Indigenous people, in the hopes that their spirits are not suffering but at rest despite the violence and injustice that was inflicted on them, and that change and justice are possible; for them, their families, and all other people and communities that have been touched by the same violence, racism, and loss.