National Day for Truth and Reconciliation - 2025

Since its inception, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation has underscored the critical need to confront and understand the historic and ongoing injustices faced by Indigenous Peoples across Canada (Turtle Island). Beyond education, this day calls upon all of us to actively listen to Indigenous voices, honour lived experiences, and engage in meaningful dialogue. It is through these conversations that we begin to appreciate the depth and resilience of Indigenous histories, cultures, and traditions and move collectively toward reconciliation rooted in respect, accountability, and shared understanding.

In recent years, our team at Marine Atlantic has been privileged to deepen our understanding of the vibrancy, diversity, and resilience of Indigenous Peoples through the powerful medium of visual storytelling. Across our terminals, administrative spaces, and aboard the Ala’suinu, the work of Indigenous artists from Atlantic Canada offers passengers and employees alike an opportunity to engage with rich cultural narratives, reflect on lived experiences, and celebrate the enduring contributions of Indigenous communities to our shared landscape. Today, we invite you to learn about some of the incredible pieces we proudly display and the creative minds behind them.
 

“Kwe’(Hello) everyone! My name is Marcus Gosse and I am a Mi’kmaq Artist from Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland). My Mi’kmaq Name is Ala’suinu (Traveller). I share the same name as the beautiful Marine Atlantic ferry. I started painting with acrylic in 1997 and have completed over 30 murals to date. I recently became the first Newfoundland Mi’kmaq Artist to design a coin for the Royal Canadian Mint. It features the Mi’kmaq Creation Story, and I am very proud to be a part of that project. I am very thankful to Marine Atlantic for including three of my decal murals on their Ferry. One of the decal murals displays my “Every Child Matters” design titled “Hummingbirds”. The hummingbirds symbolize our family and ancestors coming back to give us messages, and to let us know their spirits are still alive. There are continuous Mi’kmaq double curves displayed to show we are all connected spiritually to the land and each other. Msit No’kmaq (All My Relations-We Are All Connected).”

Follow Marcus and his latest work here: 

Instagram: @marcusgosseart
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/1532150507103133/ 

Jerry Evans is Mi’kmaw and settler ancestry born in central Newfoundland. Jerry has been a practicing visual artist for over thirty years. Primarily a painter and printmaker, Jerry has reclaimed traditional hand poke tattooing and has created regalia for annual Mawoimi and pow wow dancing for more than two decades. His piece, “Mimajuaqne’kati - Place of Life,” is on display at our terminal building in Port aux Basques.

Jerry had this to say about the piece:

“In this lithograph, I have brought together some of the key life-givers of the place we call Ktaqmkuk. This island, surrounded by water, is symbolized by the stylized blue waves that embrace the land, depicted in rich red ochre. The qalipu (caribou), waspu (seals), and plamu (salmon) represent the vital sources of sustenance for our ancestors. The seals are closely associated with the spring sea ice, while the salmon return from the ocean to the rivers to spawn during this season. The qalipu migrate to the interior throughout the year, illustrating the cycles of nature that sustain us.

Our diverse landscape is reflected in the iconography found in our basketry and quillwork, representing the mountains, valleys, rivers, and forests that define our home. As the guardians of the eastern door of Turtle Island, we rise with the sun each day, honouring the life and spirit of this land.”

Explore more of Jerry’s work today:

Website: www.jerryevans.ca/ 
Instagram: @jerryevansart

“Raised in Makkovik, I paint what I notice—hands, hills, scraps of light. Stuff that sticks. I get caught up in details. Maybe too much. Maybe I don’t have a big message, just a bunch of small ones.​
Sometimes my work is a way to stay connected—to land, to memory, to the women who taught me how to see. Sometimes it's just a quiet attempt at wellness, or nostalgia. How do you feel during a moment of awe? Are you still there? Things shift. So do I.​

Every day I look for the courage to explore my own depths—and to honour what surfaces.
The Lichen series emerged during an international residency that stirred a deep longing for my home. Lichens, with their quiet resilience and symbiotic nature, reflect both environmental health and the intersection of my identities as a biologist and an artist. Their forms draw me into presence as I walk the hills near my home in Makkovik, Nunatsiavut. Through this work, I invite viewers into that stillness - a moment of grounded attention and reverence for the often-overlooked details of the natural world. 

My art sometimes draws from my heritage, sometimes it doesn’t - but it always comes from my lived experiences and ways of seeing. I want my work to be approached on those terms, not as a cultural artifact or a teaching tool."

Follow Jessica and her work today:

Website: www.jessicawintersart.com
Instagram: @jessicawintersart
 

Nelson White is an artist and member of the Flat Bay First Nation Band (No'kmaq Village) in Newfoundland.
Nelson attended the Visual Arts program at the Bay St. George Community College in Stephenville, NL and Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax, NS. Nelson exhibits throughout Canada and the US in both group and solo touring shows such as Tukien (Awken) which toured 5 institutional galleries.

His work has been featured on CBC’s The National and in Visual Arts News. His paintings are collected across North America, including the provincial art collection of NL, NS, PEI and the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. In 2021, White participated in the Fogo Island Arts international residency. He was named ArtsNL Artist of the Year for 2020 and the winner of 2022 VANL CARFAC Excellence in Visual Arts Milestone Award. He was long listed for the 2025 Sobey’s Art Award.

Nelson currently lives in St. John’s, NL with his family.

While speaking about his work, Nelson had this to say:

“Tipis are engineering marvels. They are durable, provide warmth and comfort in winter, are cool in the heat of summer, and are dry during heavy rains. They can be disassembled and packed away quickly when relocating and can be reconstructed quickly upon settling in a new area. Historically, nations use 16 poles to make the structure of the tipi, and for every pole there is an associated teaching.

The subject matter for this painting originally came from a community project to design a tipi for the Bay St. George Powwow grounds. With a couple of friends, the artist designed and laid out the tipi and then invited members of the community to come paint the design. Over 70 people took part over a three-day period to make the tipi come to life. 

The artwork captures the moment the tipi was erected for the first time. As with the tipi design, you need a community acting in unison to build the structure. The artwork was intended to be bright and joyful, representing both the community feeling of Powwow plus the joy from the painting project itself. The artwork was shown as part of a solo show at the Fogo Island Inn before finding a permanent home at the Marine Atlantic Administration Building in Port aux Basques.”

Discover more of Nelson’s work here:

Website: www.nelsonwhiteart.com/about 
Instagram: @nelsonwhiteart