Breakthrough Program & Whispered Legacies

Max - Where the Whispers Began

This year, I am one of the artists developing a body of work through the St. Paul & District Arts Foundation as part of the Break//Through Artist Program. The program supports rural artists as we refine our creative direction, build a cohesive body of work, and prepare for public exhibition. Our work will be shared on April 18 at the All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Cultural Centre in St. Paul. The exhibition will bring together artists working in different mediums, each of us exploring our own themes while growing alongside one another.

The body of work I am developing through this program is titled Whispered Legacies. The title holds the thread that runs through everything I create. Whispered Legacies is about preserving memory. It is about the quiet, enduring imprint our animals leave on us. It is about the symbolism layered into an image so that it carries more than what is immediately visible.

For many years, my camera sat mostly still, but photography never left me completely. It was Max who brought it back. I loved photography, and I wanted to capture him in a way that felt honest and lasting. Our animals take up so much of our hearts, yet they are never here long enough. I wanted more than snapshots and to create something that held the depth of connection. He was not my first project in this series. Working on an image of Max came later, and when it did, it had to be intentional. I had to understand what I was building first.

That process shaped Whispered Legacies.

When people share stories about their animals, something shifts. The stories guide the image. A small symbol might be woven in. Sometimes it is subtle. Sometimes it is simply the way the light falls, the direction of the gaze, the mood of the sky. In earlier works, I explored how landscape, sky, trees, and light could hold memory. In pieces like In Her Keeping and From Where He Stood, elements such as lilacs, stars, and rooted trees carry generational meaning.  Those images helped me understand how to build layers without overwhelming the heart of the portrait.

At its core, Whispered Legacies is about connection. It is about preserving memory in a way that feels grounded and personal. It is about presence. About honouring the quiet witness that animals are in our lives.

As I near retirement, it gives me space to return to photography with intention. To shape this work into a cohesive body rather than a series of individual pieces. To grow not only as a photographer, but as an artist.  The Break//Through program has given me the opportunity to reflect on what I am building and why. It has allowed me to work alongside other artists in our community who are also refining their voices and developing meaningful work.

On April 18, we will share the results of that journey.

I hope you will join us at the All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Cultural Centre to experience the exhibition and to see how each artist has interpreted their own path forward. I am deeply grateful to the St. Paul & District Arts Foundation for creating space for artists in our community to grow, experiment, and step more fully into their practice.

Some stories are not loud.

They are carried quietly.

They are whispered.

And they deserve to be preserved.