Habs to showcase local art

For the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation next Tuesday, the Montreal Canadiens will be doing something special to showcase some of the Indigenous artists that live right outside Tiohtià:ke: they’ll be wearing beadwork pins of their logo, made by artists from Kahnawake and Kanesatake.

The players and coaching staff will wear the pins prior to the preseason game in Quebec City against the Ottawa Senators, and the staff will continue to wear them throughout the game.

The seven beaders - Andrea Dickson, Shannon Cross, Tiffany Deer, Sondra Cross, Alexandra Cross, Alana Simon, and Sydney Diabo - responded to a call out for artists done by the Sports and Recreation Unit of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) in the spring.

That call out came as a result of discussions between the Canadiens’ organization and the Sports and Recreation Unit, according to its director, Roiatate Horn.

“They asked us if we had a suggestion on making their Orange Shirt Day game a little bit more popular, a little bit more community focused, and we both talked about possibly having artists involved. So that’s where the idea that we would do a pin came from,” said Horn.

Dickson was not sure she would be able to participate, at first.

“When I first saw the posting looking for beaders for this event, I hesitated because I felt like I couldn’t commit to such a big project,” she said.

“However, when I was informed it would be a collaborative effort, I jumped at the opportunity.”

She said that she was very proud of her work, which consisted of 10 elaborate pieces with different colour variations, representing the Canadiens’ logo in a circle with a feather, plus six more pieces with different designs.

“As a Habs fan, I’d be proud to see the players and coaches wearing something I helped create for that special day,” said Dickson.

“We don’t know who will wear which pin. It would be cool if Nick Suzuki wore mine, but I’ll be super excited if Martin St-Louis or one of the coaches on the bench wore mine during the game.”

Shannon Cross, for her part, designed 16 pins with the Canadiens’ logo surrounded by beadwork coloured black, white, and orange “to honour the colors used for Every Child Matters.”

Her father has been a Canadiens’ fan for as long as she can remember, and she’s a big fan herself.

“They’ve been a huge part of my household since I was a child. I grew up watching them, every single game they played,” she said.

This is the second time the owner of Cross Beads Designs has made beadwork pins for the Canadiens, the first time being last March for their First Peoples Celebration game.

“I feel just as honoured as the first time I did it for them,” said Cross.

Horn said he too feels honoured, because the Canadiens seem dedicated to a long-term, meaningful partnership, that includes working closely with the community.

“Whenever we form partnerships with external agencies, we explain to them that we want this to be a long-lasting partnership. We’re not just here to get a photo op and then we don’t hear from you for months until it’s time for the next photo up. And they were completely on board,” said Horn.

“It means a lot to us. That goes to show their commitment to the community. They could have just come to us and asked us for artwork that they would wear, and then that’s it, but they are committed to coming into the community and doing events.”

That included a visit in August for the Back-to-School Jamboree, where mascot Youppi! came to Kahnawake without any team media presence or big fanfare.

To him, coming to the community not just for the cameras but because they wanted to, matters a lot.

“It’s a very meaningful partnership, and it’s something that we are excited for. They’re here to support us,” said Horn.

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