Candice Allard

Candice grew up in St. Ambroise, which is a small Red River Métis community on Lake Manitoba, well known for its great fishing, hunting, and trapping. Her childhood memories are filled with the rumble of the bombardier, the soft feathers of hunted waterfowl, and the smooth pelts of muskrats.

She came across the art of beading by holding a workshop at the University of Winnipeg where she learned how to flat stitch bead Remembrance Day poppies. She has since then taught herself how to bead different projects and she is now teaching beading classes for the students, staff, faculty, and community members at University of Winnipeg. Right now, her favourite things to bead are Métis sash-inspired fringe earrings, but she is also looking forward to learning how to bead on jackets and grad caps in the future.

Beading has been a great way for students to decompress during the school year. We share our experiences with our Red River Métis culture, often telling stories and discussing our genealogy to see if we have any common relations. Some great relationships have been made during these beading classes and the sense of community that grows each time we bead together has resulted in extra meaningful projects.