SACKVILLE, NB — Mount Allison University will welcome Mi’kmaw artist Gordon Sparks on Thursday, April 2 for a special presentation of the Mi’kmaq creation story as part of the University’s Indigenous Speaker Series. 

Sparks, who is from Pabineau First Nation and now lives in Rough Waters, NB, is known for his work in traditional Mi’kmaq wooden mask carving and tattooing. He learned his craft from master carver Edward Ned Bear (1954–2019), who in turn learned from an Elder in his community. 

At the centre of Sparks’s work is a commitment to preserving and sharing traditional Mi’kmaq knowledge, including stories, ceremonies, foodways, and medicine. Through carving, he connects oral tradition with visual language and creates opportunities for gathering, reflection, and cultural learning. 

“Traditional wooden mask carving is the medicine that connects our oral stories to our visual language as Mi’kmaq people from the east coast of Turtle Island known now as Canada,” says Sparks. “Mask medicine has the ability to bring people to gather in a safe place to share our oral history through stories, ceremonies, drums and dance.” 

The Indigenous Speaker Series is presented in collaboration with Nicole Porter, Mi’kmaq cultural coordinator and knowledge keeper for Amlamgog (Fort Folly First Nation), and is supported through the Marjorie Young Bell Distinguished Speaker Endowment Fund and Future Wabanaki. The presentation is also connected to an upcoming artist residency being organized by the Owens Art Gallery. 

The event will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 2 in the Windsor Grand Room, 145 Main St., Sackville, NB. It is free and open to the public. 

About Gordon Sparks 

Gordon Sparks is a Mi’kmaw artist from Pabineau First Nation who now lives in Rough Waters, New Brunswick. Through ceremony, he harvests wood and animal materials to create masks that embody the spirit of Mi’kmaw stories, traditions, and teachings. His work honours traditional knowledge, ceremony, and storytelling, and often comes to life through collaboration with dancers, drummers, and regalia makers. 

A tattoo artist with more than 30 years of experience, Sparks brings together carving and tattoo design as a way to preserve and share cultural teachings. His work has been exhibited across Atlantic Canada and internationally, including at London’s Collect Art Fair. Through his artistic practice and mentorship, he continues to inspire and support Indigenous artists and communities across Mi’kma’ki.