Five Indigenous painters selected for Regina’s artists in residence program

Regina is celebrating a milestone for its Artist in Residence program with five Indigenous artists. Sierra D'Souza Butts has more on this week’s Indigenous Circle.

Five Indigenous painters have been chosen for Regina’s artist in residence program in an effort to further support their cultural presence in the community.

In celebration of the City of Regina’s fifth year of the program, five artists instead of one have been selected for this year’s Indigenous Artist in Residence Program.

The 2026 artists are Phyllis Poitras-Jarrett, Melanie Monique Rose, Torrie Ironstar, Lorne Kequahtooway, and Brianna LaPlante.

As an artist with a disability, Ironstar said painting is a way for him to tell his story.

“Painting is super easy. It’s visual and everyone kind of understands,” he said.

“I don’t need to use words to explain it as like a hearing person would to tell a story. I can tell it through art.”

Ironstar uses a geometric style to help incorporate his Nakoda and Blackfoot Indigenous identity into his artwork.

Through his art he hopes people can see the “deaf perspective.”

“They see that I’m dependent on my eyesight and find that deeper meaning ... I’m really interested to see what people see on the surface level and what’s basic, but really go deeper than that,” he said.

“Also incorporating Indigenous perspective and colours, all of that and just kind of three different worlds mixed into one.”

Every year, the program selects First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists living in Regina to join a paid residency to help strengthen their artistic creation, community connection and cultural continuity.

“There’s so many great artists here locally that have such different perspectives and important voices to share and so many diverse mediums,” said Robyn Barclay, coordinator of cultural development for the City of Regina.

“This is [a] really exciting way for us to celebrate the five years of this program.

From June to October, the local talent will host public workshops at the Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre. During their time in residence, artists will learn from one another while connecting with Indigenous art and storytelling.

“The thing I’m most looking forward to is connecting with other Indigenous artists in the community, and sharing that art with the greater community in Regina,” said Phyllis Poitras-Jarrett, a Métis artist selected for this year.

“I’m hopeful that it’s going to create more connections between non-Indigenous and Indigenous people. I think that’s really important and it just furthers a conversation about reconciliation within our city.”

The artwork created through the 2026 Indigenous Artist in Residence Program will be added in the City of Regina’s Civic Art Collection. To date, the collection contains over 330 artworks by local, Saskatchewan and Canadian artists.”

“It’s exciting to know that my artwork will continue on in the collection even after I’m gone,” said Melanie Monique Rose, one of the five artists.

“I have a young daughter who is eight years-old. That’s something that makes me really happy, as well as a mother that she can when I’m gone, she can be like, ‘My mom’s art is in the collection.”

At the end of the residency, a final exhibition will be held at the Art Gallery of Regina from Nov. 27 to Dec. 31, 2026.