“Get to Know” is a series that profiles Indigenous artists engaged in Harbour projects.Collective member Vanda Fleury connected with Dianne Ouellette by Zoom in the Spring of 2022 to bring you this feature article.
Identity, memory, and family history are the threads that bind Métis film and multimedia artist, Dianne Ouellette to her creative practice. She is the person seeking to know and every dot connected illuminates her path. The pull she feels towards her ancestors is another guiding light and a source of inspiration for cultural expressions in film and photography. Sharing the diversity of Métis experiences is at the heart of her storytelling and though she enjoys sharing what she knows, does not claim to be the voice of all Métis people. Dianne is concerned with “trying to get the words right” and though she is not likely to be the loudest person in the room, the edge of her power is in her thoughtfulness. Dianne’s creative work speaks volumes, from the curatorial and writing projects that connect communities across artificial boundaries, to the education initiatives that are inclusive of all abilities.
Working extensively in film, corporate video, and ethnographic research has equipped Dianne with an applied skillset that supports her passion for arts and activism. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre (1993), a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Video (1995), and a Master of Fine Arts in Media Production (2020). This combination of knowledge and experience shapes the vivid imagery and attention to detail that is unique to her storytelling. Daisies are a recurring theme in her work, representing death and the delicate threads of earthly existence. You can trace the depths of mortality in her works, aen loo pawatamihk (2020) and Cry Wolf (2017), a tribute to her beloved family dog that is available to explore online.[1] Dianne’s creativity and advocacy can be subtle, but the effect is no less powerful. “I find ways of being an activist through empathy and compassion,” says Dianne. For Dianne, the goal of film is creating awareness and sharing knowledge and feelings of empowerment.
Dianne is not chasing down CEO’s or talking heads to inform her interpretations. She is speaking to the people directly impacted by the problem, or walking on the land, seeking out moments where an animal in nature acknowledges your presence. These interactions are her defining moments and she says, “I don’t want to invade their territory and I respect their process: If they see me, I leave.” She has been passionate about animals her entire life, and she felt called to embark on a journey in Grasslands National Park to film the absence of wolves in 2021. Pushed out and hunted to extinction by farmers and ranchers, the prairie wolf is honoured in a recent production, lii bufloo aen loo kishkishiw (buffalo wolf memory). While grief and loss are tethered to Indigenous languages that have also vanished, the film also points to what remains in reach on the horizon. In every web there are wisps of opportunity, for relearning and reclaiming.
Unifying her dreams with family narratives has reconnected Dianne’s circle. Her family history was largely unknown to her because people did not talk about it. She confirmed her Métis identity at age 27 when her degree positioned her to dig deeper, to make those larger connections. In school full time, she was also working on a short film, and a documentary that all together spanned 5 years. Her outlet for creative expression and the investigation into her ancestry gave her the time she needed to breathe, and to ground herself. Ultimately, Dianne found her voice in her thesis, through self-documentation and research.
Rooting out the stories of relatives that suffered from the web of colonization is emotional and intense work. Dianne’s search for Métis family connections led her to discover that relations attended residential school and at one time resided in Lac La Biche. Following this network will take her to Edmonton to meet extended family, coming into her life because of her work. There is strength building around meeting her aunt, who was a sister to her grandma Louise — and whose memories are a lifeline to her. Louise died tragically many years ago and Dianne connects this to wolves she dreamed of as a child, and to the internal sadness her family carries. In many ways, the imagery of the lost wolf in her films is connected to her grandmother. The depths of injustice are far reaching, as “every female person, mother, grandmother is part of the story, too,” says Ouellette. She confronted these narratives against the backdrop of Covid restrictions and isolation, and at the time, it separated her from a network of cousins. Inviting family into her projects is a way for Dianne to create relationships and she is excited to step alongside them, in the present.
Alive in these connections is a sense of community. Threaded with reciprocity, it broadens and strengthens her creative practice as she considers how she experiences privilege, and how that can be shared. She gives back to her students, sometimes just by sharing her successful proposals with those who have been doubted, like women, Indigenous people, and people with cognitive challenges. Spoken with true intention Ouellette says, “I commit when I mentor.” Together with a group of creative people of all abilities they produced the film Mine to Have[2] with a series of meetings and discussions. It is an open invitation to walk in their shoes, to explore diverse realities and relationships, and to rethink accessibility. “This is a film that I want people to see, I’m so proud of it,” says Dianne.
Get to know Diane Ouellette by visiting her website, www.dfilms.com and by following her on Instagram @dianne.ouellette.
[1]Cry Wolf (2017) Film by Dianne Ouellette, 2:12 mins. [Online]. Available: https://difilms.com/cry-wolf [2022, August 5].
[2] Created by the Crip arts collective, Mine To Have is an intimate journey into the lives of people living within the scope of “other” and their personal quest for love, care, and compassion. Production team includes Traci Foster, Dianne Ouellette, Natasha Urkow, John Loeppky, Bongani Musa, Amanda Zelinski, Nicole Bear, Kelsey Culbert, Maria Doyle, Shaylee Rosnes, Emil Schmuck, Ed Peck, and Finn Eggertson Burke. [Online]. Available: https://difilms.com/mine-to-have [2022, August 5].
Dianne Ouellette (she/her) is an independent Métis filmmaker, multimedia artist and curator. Her films have been screened and awarded internationally. She presently works as a Communications Specialist and sessional instructor at the University of Regina. She completed her MFA in Media Production (2020).She is presently Chair of the Board of Directors for Sâkêwêwak and a long-time member of theSaskatchewan Filmpool Cooperative. As of recent, she has been working with Listen to Dis’ Community Arts Organization members, facilitating people of all abilities to create digital stories through online workshops. She also collaborated with this organization to co-direct Mine To Have’s digital production; a theatre play adapted to a film during covid restrictions in 2021.Over the past two decades, she has focused her lens on family, history, and identity. Sharing stories through film, video, photography, digital media, creative design, and writing fulfills her passion for storytelling. Continuing to encourage others by making creative content that connects and motivates people is valuable in her artistic goals.
Harbour Collective acknowledges the support from the Canada Council for the Arts, Creating, Knowing and Sharing.
