For this Mi'kmaw creator, art is a way to amplify activism and promote Indigenous sovereignty

When Mel Beaulieu prepared to work as the artist-in-residence at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton this winter, the world seemed ominous. 

Beaulieu, a queer member of Metepenagiag First Nation, says their art is often influenced by politics and the world around them. 

And this relationship only deepened in January, the month Beaulieu worked at the Beaverbrook gallery and Donald Trump was sworn in as 47th president of the United States.

On inauguration day, Trump was quick to target transgender and gender diverse people, issuing an executive order that said the U.S. government would now recognize only two sexes — male and female. A few days later, Trump issued an executive order aimed at ensuring the military does not have transgender members.

These were just two of the orders Trump has issued during his first months in power that threaten the transgender community in the U.S. and have alarmed the community in Canada as well.

"Now isn't the time for allyship that is silent or allyship that is passive … I think people, especially in Canada, think that those issues don't exist here," said Beaulieu, who grew up in Stanley and now lives in Fredericton.

As part of the transgender community, the Mi'kmaw artist has hopes that Canada will not follow in the steps of the United States. But they're also uncertain — they've seen a rise in transphobic rhetoric across social media platforms.

"I'm seeing the kind of escalating hate happening where people are more bold in the things they say to me or message me," Beaulieu said. 

The work of the 29-year-old artist ranges across several disciplines: beadwork, 3D printing, virtual reality, teaching, writing and illustrating. Beaulieu wrote and illustrated the children's book Animals at Play in Mi'kma'ki. 

Beaulieu's beading journey began eight years ago, and their beadwork creations have been shown in exhibitions across the U.S. and Canada. 

One of Beaulieu's most recent pieces, Protect Your Heart, has the title words in bold letters that surround a white beaded heart with a golden double-curved motif in the middle. 

The background of the piece is red, with barbed wire behind the heart. The double-curved motif, which has several meanings in Wabanaki nations, is associated with nature and symbolizes the interconnectedness of all things. 

During their art gallery residency, Beaulieu said, they started on a work that's expected to take about seven years to complete.

"It feels like, you know, if this project's going to be here in seven years, I'm still going to be here," Beaulieu said. "In seven years, I'm still going to be making art. In seven years, queer people will still be here."