Duluth, MN — Moira Villiard is elevating underrepresented stories through art and community organizing. A Fond du Lac Ojibwe direct descendant, Moira found strength and confidence through art. She is a lead director for the Chief Buffalo Memorial project, a series of community-painted murals along Lake Superior that serve as a site of prayer, education and activation. She also co-organizes a community art installation titled, “Waiting for Beds,” which explores the effects of long wait times for social services. Moira leads on behalf of her ancestors, hoping to leave behind a better world for future generations. She will use her Bush Fellowship to pursue a master’s degree in human rights and travel for creative research and reconnection with her ancestral history.
What has informed your approach to leading change in your community?
I want to be the kind of adult I didn’t have in my life, and a person that helps others. I was 18 years old when I had my first art show. I'd never been exposed to art exhibits, so I didn't know that when I submitted my pieces unframed, that galleries don't frame your work. Instead of turning me away, the venue paid to frame all of my work, removing a huge barrier, and in turn allowing me to take my work more places afterwards. I try to replicate that generosity by making sure anyone I collaborate with has all of the resources to succeed up front.
What is your favorite quote or expression?
By Khalil Gibran: “And ere my soul spoke to me, I imagined the Past as an epoch that never returned, and the Future as one that could never be reached. Now I realize that the present moment contains all the time and within it is all that can be hoped for, done and realized.
My soul preached to me exhorting me not to limit space by saying, ‘Here, there, and yonder.' Ere my soul preached to me, I felt that wherever I walked was far from any other space. Now I realize that wherever I am contains all places; and the distance I walk embraces all distances.”
This reminds me that sometimes I can get caught up about the past and future but that there’s abundance in the present moment.
