James Darin Corbiere

James Darin Corbiere, painter, painting, drawing, wood, copper, Indigenous Artist, First Nations, Indigenous Arts Collective of Canada, Pass The Feather

James Darin Corbiere

James Darin Corbiere

Wikwemikong First Nation

My name is James Darin Corbiere, I am an Anishinaabe, Bear Clan, originally from Wikwemikong on Manitoulin Island, Ontario. I grew up on the reserve where I used to be able to see colours around people. That is until bad things happened at the Church. The sight stopped.

James Darin Corbiere, painter, painting, drawing, wood, copper, Indigenous Artist, First Nations, Indigenous Arts Collective of Canada, Pass The Feather

I turned 50 and realized I was tired of running, so I decided to do some healing work. The colours came back, but it was in the artwork that I began creating + producing. The artwork has helped me to heal.

I am not an "artist" in the sense that it's been there all along. I was a police officer and then an Indigenous language teacher. My teachings and background are from my upbringing on the reserve, and my experience in policing and the education system has influenced my art and their stories.