14 | NATIONAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY
SATURDAY, JUNE 17, 2023
art
Ever-evolving
Unlike many businesses, COVID was a busy time for Dene Cree Designs. When they had to send their staff home, they focused their efforts online. Many people were looking for items to feather their nests as they were spending more time at home, and the Diamond collection, a series of home décor pieces featuring prints designed by Merasty and her husband, took off.
BY KRISTIN MARAND
INDIGENOUS ART IS MORE THAN A STYLE OR AN ESTHETIC. IT IS MULTIFACETED, MULTIDIMENSIONAL AND MULTIMEDIA. Like all art forms, Indigenous art is constantly evolving, coming from various geographical locations and featuring diverse voices and styles. From practical art you can wear and decorate your home with to large- scale thought-provoking pieces, Urban Shaman Gallery and Dene Cree Designs are just two places in Winnipeg where you can immerse yourself in contemporary Indigenous art. Dene Cree Designs started as a hobby. Christine Merasty created cell phone cases with Indigenous designs that she sold at powwows and conferences. The cases were so popular that she added other items with Indigenous designs. Christine and her husband sold products out of their home and garage until they needed more space to store all the products they were selling. They moved into their current location at 1761 Wellington Ave. three years ago.
“ IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY THAT WE ARE A CHANNEL FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE JUST STARTING OUT OR SMALLER ARTISANS.
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– Christine Merasty, Dene Cree Designs
“Everybody was at home and wanted to decorate their homes,” Merasty says. “I made the effort to add all our products onto the website, and then I started directing everybody to our website, and it just took off. We were just a small business in Manitoba with a few customers outside of Manitoba, and then it went rural Manitoba and Canada-wide and now we’re worldwide.”
Diamond collection. PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY DENE CREE DESIGNS
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