Bákvḷá - Herring Moon Workshop

Bákvḷá – Herring Moon Workshop

Join artist Vina Brown, also know by Copper Canoe Woman (ƛ̓áqvas gḷ́w̓aqs), for an intimate Art Is Medicine workshop honoring Bákvḷá, the herring moon. Together, we will explore the story of this moon—the time when the crescent tips over and signals the herring to spawn, marking the beginning of the Heiltsuk food cycle and the new year.

Through conversation, grounding, and creative practice, we will connect traditional food harvesting practices and cosmology to art-making. You’ll design and create your own hanging moon mobile, incorporating materials such as wood, beads, abalone inlay, acrylic cutouts, and more!

This is more than an art project—it’s a celebration of renewal, sovereignty, and our relationships to the animals and lands that sustain us. We’ll share stories of moons and food sovereignty, and reflect on the importance of caring for these reciprocal connections.

Come ready to share your moon stories, your sovereignty…