The Awakeners

Acclaimed Canadian singer and songwriter Laura Vinson is on a personal journey to connect with Indigenous artists with disabilities. Their spirit-born work is awakening the beauty of Indigenous people to all who see, hear and feel their art.

In episode one, nationally acclaimed Indigenous singer Laura Vinson shares her heart and her personal queries that lead her into a quest to find Indigenous disabled artists.

In this episode, Laura meets up with Lyle and David Donald, a father and son who head up the Edmonton Métis Dancers. David is living his dream, teaching young people the traditional Métis Jig.

Laura contemplates the richness of her family’s Indigenous heritage and culture and the ways her culture and art bring healing. She meets Raymond Gladue, an award-winning dancer.

Laura discovers how Tom Baril’s photography takes the viewer on a haunting journey to honour the children of missing and murdered Indigenous women.

Wayne Levesque and Yvette Cenerini are two people who began their lives in the able-bodied world but experienced dramatic injuries that resulted in disability diagnoses that transformed their worlds.

“Meegwitch” in Ojibway means “Creator”, and “hi hi” is, “thank you”. In this episode Laura begins to recognize the fortune of being an artist who can share their gifts.