Faith mask

For her mask titled Faith Indigenous Canadian multidisciplinary artist Nathalie Bertin uses ancestral language of Métis floral beadwork and Anishinaabe design elements to reflect her personal growth and resilience during the pandemic. Bertin explains: “Faith. If the pandemic taught me anything, it’s about faith. In myself. In the people around me. In my spirit, the universe and the ancestors who have my back. This mask contains elements to represent my ancestors who made me who I am and gave me everything I need to guide me through this life.”

Nathalie Bertin, Urban Métis, French, and Algonquin with documented roots in Michilimakinac and Nipissing, Canada

Designed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Made in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Beads; Velvet; Cotton

Royal Ontario Museum
2021.49.1, Generously supported by the Susan Joan Greenberg Fund