Tara Francis is a contemporary Mi’kmaw artist; she blends modern and traditional styles together. Her career as an artist started 20 years ago, her passion for art and dedication to her craft have earned her various awards over the years. Tara’s work has been displayed worldwide including Toronto, Hawaii, Germany, the Middle East, etc. By 2022, she had officially registered her business, IndigenEAST.
IndigenEAST offers porcupine quillwork, silk painting, acrylic painting. She also hosts workshops in person and virtually; they include Introduction to Quillwork and Cultural Experience. Tara’s Cultural Experience can include a quill workshop, “but more for the purpose of facilitating a creative space to talk about the culture than the craft itself.”
She is a member of Elsipogtog First Nation, currently lives in Shediac, and has a studio in Fredericton. Tara's academic background includes a Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism from NBCC and multiple diplomas from NBCCD, including a Native Arts Certificate and Surface Design.
After studying for five years, Tara wanted to stay committed to being an artist even when the stigma of being a full-time artist was present. She recalls networking and people would ask her, "what's your real job?". It took nearly 20 years to be sustainable and comfortable in the industry. At one point in her early career, she briefly returned to her home community to utilize their support and stay balanced as an emerging artist. This move helped her for a while until she left Elsipogtog again to be closer to her arts community. Her need to fully support herself financially gave her the motivation needed to concentrate on the business side of her art. The mentality of 'sink-or-swim' pushed her to take a chance and was a "great lesson towards making her business official." Tara speaks about the JEDI accelerator program and how it defined her business by helping her see the little pieces and specify the 'big picture' of what the business is today.
The JEDI accelerator program supported Tara's strong business ethic by networking with other like-minded entrepreneurs. She cites Frank and Diane as exceptional educators who made understanding spreadsheets and managing finances easy. "Spreadsheets and things like that aren't necessarily my strong points, so they helped me balance that out and are always open to helping me."
While living in Shediac, Tara wants to utilize her hospitality and tourism background to team up with the area to create an Information Centre on traditional Mi'kmaq land. She sees the potential for Indigenous tourism by sharing traditional and modern Mi’kmaq culture and history in the community.
She considers her most significant achievement to date was a commission from Brenda Murphy, Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, where she created a gorgeous monarch butterfly made from quills. The new King of England was gifted this artwork.
Tara advises future Indigenous entrepreneurs, "Document everything and stay on top of the paperwork! Also, networking. These tips will help you stay in the loop with opportunities."
Check out her website at www.indigeneast.com