Jolene Robichaud
Jolene Robichaud (she/he/they) is an Acadian and Mi'kmaw queer multidisciplinary artist. She grew up nomadic around the Richibucto River in New Brunswick, while her families hail from Kouchibouguac and L'nu Minigog.
Currently residing in Montreal, Quebec, she works full-time for her company, JR Fashion Designs. It is through this business that she creates as a designer, artisan and textile artist. She has presented her latest fashion collections at St. John's Fashion Week and Montreal Fashion Week 2024.
What led you to become a fashion designer?
I've always been interested in fashion. As long as I can remember, I'd see Mémére Thérèse's old Singer sewing machine and I'd love to play with its drawers full of notions. She did a lot of upcycling because that's all Acadians could afford in those days. When I was young enough to learn, at the age of 6, my great-grandmother Naine Marguerite taught me to sew by hand to make clothing for my little toys. She also taught me how to embroider.
When I was growing up, people gave me second-hand clothes because I was the only one my size, and we went shopping in second-hand shops for new clothes. During the evening commercials at my grandmother's house, they wouldn't ask me for them, but I'd give them free fashion shows in the living room, with all the second-hand clothes. I styled them like crazy, and that gave me a taste for dressing with expression ever since.
What led you to work with textiles and beads?
I've always found beading beautiful, and I didn't think, not even in a million years, that I would have had the patience to become a beader. It all started when I was spending time with my granny Rita Thompson (Sock) and she would tell me that she beaded, and I didn't even know it. She would tell me about all the traditional Mi'kmaw crafts that different members of our family used to make. Listening to her talk warmed my heart. And then she told me she could show me how to bead. That really touched me.
Well, de well. Visit your elders. Tell them you love them. I didn't get to see her again. So, I decided to learn on my own. The first few months were difficult, I went through a lot of emotions. I beaded for myself, for my family and for an important collection. Since then, I've been beading for others, with a lot of love. It's all because of her that I'm on this path here.
How have your training and experiences helped you create and innovate in your art practice?
I received a Foundation Visual Arts certificate from NBCCD in Fredericton in 2014. I have had mentors over the years who have helped me refine my practices, my work ethic, who have greatly inspired and encouraged me. Between friends, family and elders, I always receive traditional, rather informal knowledge. As someone who's started making ready-to-wear pieces, I'm starting to express myself on the runway a bit more than before, and I make my own accessories and jewelry too. So, honestly, all this training and knowledge is starting to help me to be able to express deep-rooted traumas, through fashion, through beadwork, through art.
What stimulates you most about your work?
I do it for myself, I do it for the community, I do it for future generations. I love my work. The artistic side, the administrative side, the sales side, everything. It keeps me going and gives me the strength to live, a reason to get up in the morning. I do it for the community. When someone buys something from someone they love. Or when someone orders a custom piece and wears it for the first time, then I get to see it. It gives them a piece of their culture, or just a very close piece to themselves. It's very special. It's also a great way of asserting our culture, piece by piece, in our wardrobe. Standardising the regalias, the ribbon skirts, the big auntie earrings, everything. For us, and for generations to come.
What drives your creativity?
Plants, natural medicines, the sea, Richibucto and the River of Fire, the galaxy, my family, hope, traditions, laughter and listening.
How has living and working in New Brunswick helped and/or inspired your career path?
In NB, I wanted to do fashion shows, but I wasn't at college or anything. There was no place for me to join an existing show. So, between the years 2019-2022, I had to organise my own shows to show my collections. I made four collections, one for each year. The first two, I organised the fashion shows myself, and then I did some modelling. The third I organised with someone else and did some modelling too. Then in 2022, I came out with another collection. This collection was supported by artsNB and was a series of story-videos shown by conference during covid. It was what I organised and did a lot of modelling, directing, art direction for videoshoots and photoshoots too, as well as retouching the photos. So working at NB made me work harder to give myself the opportunities I was looking for. Anything to just make a fashion collection and show it to the public. Since I'm in a bigger city, I don't have to organise events to take part, I can just join in. First of all, I've learnt a lot as a designer in NB. I understand how things work and my skin is a lot thicker now.
What is the creative process like?
It's very different from one piece to another, but let's talk about sewing. I'd say for my larger pieces it starts with sketches and coloured pencils. The designs often come to me when I'm trying to sleep, honestly. So when it's time to colour, it's either an image I have in my head straight away, or it never arrives and I forget about it. Sometimes I ask for help with the designs if I know I need to do something. I make a smudge and colour it in. Then it's the actual creation. If it's a commission, I try to do it exactly like the drawing or like we talked about. But when it's a drawing for me, it's just for fun and it can change a lot between the drawing and the final execution. It depends on the materials I have on hand, the level of upcycling, the time I must go shopping, and how much money I must spend on materials. All these elements can completely change a look. That's why I like to keep a stock full of second-hand materials at home if I can!
Why do you think it's important to make art and invest in an artistic process?
Art sometimes speaks for us. Personally, I'm not good with words, and I find that making art, creating different types of art on different days, helps me to make my voice heard in the world. As a neurospicy person, I find it hard to navigate this world, and without art, I sometimes think I'd just float along without doing or saying anything, keeping everything to myself. Art gives me my platform as a person.
What have you learned about yourself and the New Brunswick art community through your work?
I've learned that it's okay to make art that isn't always colourful and looks happy. Our hands are directed by what's in our minds and in our hearts. I can't please everyone, in art or in life.
In your opinion, what is the impact of artists' work in communities and in the province as a whole?
The impact of artists has formulated the great foundation of artistic life in NB today. Often the direct experiences of community members are conveyed through the art pieces of New Brunswick's incomparable artists. I personally see a lot of Acadian and Wabanaki art. Ultra-modern Acadian art is on the rise, and for me, it's a form of healing and hope. Wolastoqey, Mi'kmaw and Peskotomuhkati art is increasingly on the front page. This is still not enough, and we need better contracts, like the rest of the people. I owe a lot to the Mi'kmaw and Wolastoqey artists who are like mentors to me. Without them, I wouldn't be where I am. Today, we owe everything to those who came before us. All of us, in all our communities.
Describe what you are most proud of in your career.
Honestly, I've worked really hard on my art, my craft and my business. I didn't have much post-secondary education, so I'm really proud of how far I've come and that I've pulled myself out of poverty at the same time.
What advice would you give emerging artists?
Give yourself time at the beginning. It doesn't happen all at once. Jack of all trades goes a long way, but someone who knows how to ask for help from the community goes even further.
