Earlier this month, SSNAP’s Education Program welcomed Victoria-based artist Natalie Rollins to Salt Spring Elementary for an artist talk and beading workshop with Salt Spring Elementary’s Grade 4/5 class, with teachers Christina Novak and Katharine Byers.

Natalie, an interdisciplinary artist and member of the Driftpile Cree Nation (Treaty 8) through her father, shared her personal history and the cultural roots of her practice, including her Kokum’s beadwork and the way family tradition has shaped her contemporary art. Gathered in a sharing circle, she introduced students to flatstitch beadwork, a traditional Indigenous technique where small glass seed beads are stitched onto fabric or hide to create intricate, tightly packed patterns. She shared examples of her work and a variety of hides and furs before demonstrating the technique. “Each bead is like a person,” she told the class, “and together it creates an impact.” Students then worked on their own pieces with remarkable focus and care.

The workshop closed in a sharing circle, with students reflecting on their work and the process.

Natalie Rollins exhibited her work “Sowing Seeds” in the SSNAP 2025 exhibition.

This program was supported in part by the Salt Spring Island Foundation’s Foundation of Youth grant.