Canadian Art has expanded their editorial team, naming Ossie Michelin, an Inuk journalist from North West River, NL, as one of two Editors-at-Large. Adrienne Huard, a Two-Spirit/Indigiqueer Anishinaabekwe writer and curator from Winnipeg, MB, will fill the other Editor-at-Large position.
Former Editor-at-Large Lindsay Nixon, a Cree-Métis-Saulteaux writer and professor in the Department of English at Ryerson University, joins their National Editorial Advisory Committee, which also includes asinnajaq, Ji-Yoon Han, Nasrin Himada, Craig Leonard, Gabrielle Moser, cheyanne turions and Tania Willard.
A journalist, photographer and documentary filmmaker, Michelin’s focus in his new position will be to expand content and coverage of Inuit and northern Indigenous artists, as well as networks across the North.
“While I believe it is important that we feature Inuit art in our magazine and website,” says Michelin, “I believe it is just as important to feature Inuit voices and writers as well.”
A graduate of Concordia University’s journalism program, Michelin worked for five years as a journalist for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), which took him across the country to cover Indigenous issues. During this time, he notably covered the Elsipogtog First Nation’s battle against fracking, and established APTN’s Labrador Bureau.
After leaving APTN Michelin worked as a freelance journalist and for the Nunatsiavut Government in Labrador, serving as the Knowledge and Mobilization Coordinator of the Tradition & Transition research partnership with Memorial University.
Michelin has contributed to numerous publications including the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canadian Geographic, Briar Patch and more. In 2015, Michelin authored “Speaking of Materials: Four Inuit Artists in Conversation About Their Media” for the Fall-Winter 2015 issue of the Inuit Art Quarterly, guest-edited by Dr. Heather Igloliorte,
“I am excited about the opportunity to work with and get to know Indigenous artists and writers from coast to coast to coast,” said Michelin. “In this position, I want to break down barriers over what is considered Indigenous art and show the world our art is as vibrant and varied as anything out there.”