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Nova Weipert Named the VPL's 2020 Indigenous Storyteller in Residence

VPL Nova Weipert Profile
Photo by Jeff Vinnick. Courtesy of Vancouver Public Library
Nova Weipert
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By Perrin Grauer

Posted on | Updated

Nova is planning a series of public events around current issues facing Indigenous communities, the Two Spirit journey and gender expression and identity.

Interdisciplinary artist Nova Weipert (BFA 2019) has been named the Vancouver Public Library鈥檚 2020 .

The latest addition to Nova鈥檚 filmmaking practice 鈥 which includes filming, editing and designing sound 鈥 is the film project 鈥淟eaving Earth,鈥 which was nominated for the President鈥檚 Media Choice Award for its 鈥渟weeping and immersive soundscapes and imagery.鈥

Currently, Nova is working on a documentary film series about their recent coming-out as Two Spirit, and the transition from female to Two Spirit. According to the VPL, the series will 鈥渇ollow Weipert鈥檚 process of decolonization by using moving images, sound and storytelling as a means of understanding their Indigenous identity.鈥 The project is likewise steeped in research about Indigenous history, culture and gender identities.

Speaking with the CBC, Nova recounted how learning about the term 鈥淭wo Spirit鈥 had itself been a process of decolonization.

鈥淩ealizing that Two-Spirited people were, like, revered as medicine men or women or as very spiritual people or leaders or educators, and then seeing that ... it [resonated] with me,鈥 they .

In a statement, Nova further expressed their excitement at being able to generate greater public awareness of Indigenous ways of knowing, particularly in regards to their individual experience of becoming Two Spirit.

鈥淭hrough this role as the storyteller in residence, I鈥檓 able to share Indigenous history and culture through the lens of my own personal experiences as an Ojibwe artist,鈥 Nova said.

鈥淚'm also able to share this personal journey of becoming Two Spirit; my beliefs, dreams and experiences which have informed the ways in which my spirits dance and intertwine within my being. I truly treasure this opportunity to build lasting relationships by sharing knowledge between cultures and communities.鈥

Spring will see a series of free, public events planned by Nova around 鈥渃urrent issues facing Indigenous communities, the Two Spirit journey and gender expression and identity, and ways we can come together to share culture, dialogue and more.鈥

They鈥檒l also be in attendance at a series of opening events at VPL branches across Vancouver throughout the month of March. You can find the full schedule .

Nova Weipert, a multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker, is a recent graduate of the Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Weipert has worked on a number of film projects 鈥 filming, editing and designing sound. Their latest film project, titled Leaving Earth, was nominated for the President鈥檚 Media Choice Award for its sweeping and immersive soundscapes and imagery.

Their current project is a documentary film series about recently coming out as Two Spirit and the transition from female to Two Spirit. Along with research about Indigenous history, culture and gender identities, the project will follow Weipert鈥檚 process of decolonization by using moving images, sound and storytelling as a means of understanding their Indigenous identity.

The VPL Indigenous Storyteller in Residence program was created in 2008 in recognition of Indigenous Peoples in Canada and the importance of oral storytelling as a way to learn about and from Indigenous communities in Vancouver. Through the storyteller in residence, we seek to honour Indigenous cultures and to promote intercultural understanding and communication between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

It was the first program of its kind at a public library in British Columbia and only the second at a Canadian public library. The Indigenous Storyteller in Residence program has now become essential to the library's public programming.