A national education conference held in Winnipeg last week showcased not only the voices of Canada’s top education leaders, but also the work of a rising local artist from Portage la Prairie.
Erin Mauws, vice-principal at Yellowquill School and a member of the Canadian Association of Principals (CAP) planning team, helped bring the conference to life, along with the creative vision of local artist Kae Maud, who designed the official conference T-shirt.
"CAP was a national conference for anyone across Canada who wanted to talk about education," said Mauws.
"It was originally for principals and vice-principals, but it's grown to include anyone passionate about education or learning more for their kids."
Held over four days, the conference featured breakout sessions and keynote speakers, including Manitoba’s Nahanni Fontaine, Minister of Families for the NDP and Elder Katherine Whitecloud.
In the lead-up, participants attended sessions at landmark Winnipeg sites like the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba.
A special touch this year was the T-shirt worn by the planning committee, designed by Maud.
"Kae popped into our head right away," Mauws recalled. "They had created a shirt for Wab Kinew for Orange Shirt Day, and we just knew they were the right person for this."
Maud, who also works as an educational assistant at La Verendrye School, was inspired by the conference theme "Meet in the Middle". They incorporated symbolic elements of Manitoba into the design, including the prairie crocus and a buffalo with the four sacred Indigenous colours, red, yellow, black and white. As well as The Manitoba Teachers' Society's colours orange and blue.
"The buffalo represents Indigenous people," said Maud. "I also included my trademark sun symbol. It's something I try to put in all of my work."
The moment became even more special when Maud personally presented the shirts to Fontaine and Whitecloud.
"It was amazing," they said. "As someone who's introverted, it was wonderful to be a part of something so big."
To see Maud's artwork head to 'Skultural' on both Instagram and Facebook. They continue to gain recognition for their vibrant, thoughtful designs.
"I'm very grateful for the opportunities and support from my former teachers and this community," they said. "It means so much to see my art worn."
Maud wasn’t the only local contributor to the conference. The event also featured cookies baked by Melissa Doherty, handcrafted medicine bags made by students from the Portage la Prairie school division, and custom lanyards created by an artist from Sandy Bay First Nation, each one adding a meaningful, personal touch to the national gathering.
