The NOVAH Gallery at 222 McIntyre St. West (Kennedy Building) is set to showcase a deeply personal and transformative exhibit titled “Following Awen” by Alisha Jondreau, an Indigenous/Druid artist. The exhibit, which officially opens on Saturday at 1 p.m., is the culmination of a year-and-a-half-long artistic and spiritual journey for Jondreau.
“This is all little pieces of me,” Jondreau shared during an interview with Small Town Times editor Dave Dale, her voice rich with the weight of experience. “Pieces of my thoughts and my experiences over the last year and a half.” She explains that her work, spanning 20 unique pieces, served as both a creative outlet and a means of addressing long-standing personal trauma. “I’ve never really prioritized [art] in my healing before, and it was time for me to do that.”
Jondreau’s creative process is as organic as her spiritual practice. As an autistic artist, she embraced methods that allowed her subconscious to take the lead. “The goal behind this was not to think about it,” she explained. “I’d have music playing, and I’d let myself wander off, doodling. Sometimes it looked like a mess at first, but I’d erase certain lines and see shapes emerge.”
Without formal training, Jondreau relied on trial and error to develop her unique style, experimenting with pastels, pencils, and paint to build the intricate layers that define her work. “I never picked the colors deliberately. I just used what my eye was drawn to,” she said, underscoring the intuitive nature of her artistry.
A Healing Project Rooted in Druidry
The exhibit is more than an artistic endeavor; it’s part of Jondreau’s path as a Companion in the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA). “As a companion, I undertake a project, and sometimes there’s a public component,” she explained. “A lot of the process for me was the healing journey, and that’s what facilitated this show.”
Jondreau, who grew up on Thessalon First Nation near Sault Ste. Marie, has spent much of her life immersed in nature. “I knew more game trails than most adults,” she recalled with a smile. Her Indigenous roots and love for the wilderness inform her artistic and spiritual practices, blending with her Welsh heritage and Druidry. “I’m not one or the other—I’m both,” she said. “This journey is about repairing colonization, honoring my ancestors, and finding my path.”
Overcoming Fear to Share Her Story
Sharing such intimate work publicly wasn’t an easy decision. Jondreau described her initial fear response to the idea of an exhibit. “It took time,” she admitted. “I had to get into therapy and work through a lot of trauma before I could do this.”
The opportunity to exhibit arose through a chance conversation with Dermot Wilson of the Nipissing Region Curatorial Collective, rebranded as NOVAH, which coordinates art shows in public spaces, such as the hallway galleries at 222 McIntyre and 176 Lakeshore co-working place (formerly the Tweedsmuir elementary school).
“A strange series of events got us talking about my trauma, and Dermot suggested the show,” she recounted. “I had to chew on that for a while, but ultimately, it became part of my healing.”
A Community Effort and Celebration
Jondreau’s pieces are available for sale, with prices ranging from $125 to $450. She hopes her work will resonate with viewers and inspire them to embark on their own journeys of self-discovery and healing. “Following Awen is about following inspiration and seeing where it leads,” she said. “For me, it was a journey of healing, determination, introspection, and rediscovery.”
As she extends an invitation to the community, Jondreau’s words are warm and inclusive: “Merry Solstice, happy holidays—whatever your holidays are, I’d love to see you. But either way, I hope you have a great time.”
“Following Awen” will be on display at the NOVAH Gallery until March, offering a unique glimpse into Jondreau’s world. It’s a story of resilience and creativity, where art becomes a bridge between pain and peace.
(This story was developed with ChatGPT by prompting it to write a news-style article based on the transcript of this interview at Dave Dale’s Small Town Times YouTube channel.)
Writer, photographer and proud father. My mom's family is from the Soo with its Algoma Highlands, dad hailed from Cobden in the Ottawa Valley and I spent my teen years in Capreol. Summers were at the beach on the Vermillion River and winters at 'The Rink.' Born in East York but Toronto never was my thing. Ever since a kid looking out the window on long trips, I imagined living on the highway in a little house with a big yard and trees growing all around me.
