Bert Whitecrow is a Two-Spirit Anishinaabe artist, educator, and facilitator from Seine River First Nation (Chiima’aaganing), currently based in Toronto. Their multidisciplinary practice weaves together beadwork, visual storytelling, and digital media, centering Indigenous futurisms and the relationship between land, memory, and community.
In 2022, Bert graduated from OCAD University’s Indigenous Visual Culture program, receiving the Program Medal for academic and artistic excellence. Their work draws on ancestral knowledge while exploring new possibilities for contemporary Indigenous expression.
Beyond their individual practice, Bert is a co-founder of the Weave and Mend Collective, a community-based arts initiative supported by Laidlaw Foundation funding. They co-designed and built the Weave and Mend Medicine Garden, an Indigenous medicine garden located at 180 Shaw St in Toronto. Through the collective, Bert has co-created exhibitions, workshops, and gatherings that emphasize relational learning, traditional knowledge, and creative collaboration.
Bert is also a co-founder of the Spirit of Kinship Collective (2024), a Black and Indigenous wellness series that engages participants in cross-cultural teachings, drumming, and song. Participants create hand drums, play the Djembe, and learn traditional teachings from skilled facilitators, fostering connection and hands-on cultural exchange.
Bert has led drumming and singing workshops in multiple contexts, sharing traditional Anishinaabe songs and teachings with community members of all ages. Their approach to facilitation emphasizes relational learning, wellness, and the power of collective voice.
As an artist-researcher, Bert participated in the Queering Place Art Residency, exploring intersections of identity, land, and community. Their work has been featured in exhibitions including Long Winter, Weave and Mend Art Shows, and projects displayed at The Bentway and Body Shop Studios. They have also participated in numerous residencies, most recently the RRR Residency.
Through their art, education, and leadership, Bert creates spaces where Indigenous stories, practices, and futures thrive, bridging traditional knowledge, creative expression, and community engagement.
