Browse Collection

Year Created

2022

Year Acquired

2023

Keywords

Indigenous

Surfaces

Metal

Cultures

Indigenous

Medium

Copper

Art Forms

Sculpture

Na’gu’set (Sun)

by: Audrey Arsenault


I created Na’gu’set to strive for positive times ahead in today’s society, and especially in my Indigenous culture. Within recent years, the world has gone through a pandemic, and Canada has uncovered the bodies of approximately 2000 Indigenous children buried around former residential schools. These two events left me, among many others, with a heavy heart and anxious thoughts about what the future will hold. However, while I was deep in these feelings of discouragement: I internalized that no one can change the past, but we can take action now to change the future. Na’gu’set represents grandfather sun who gives us our shadows, which are the spirits of our ancestors in the Mi’kmaq worldview. Smiling refreshingly at the viewer, Na’gu’set reminds us of how our ancestors worked so hard to create a better life for us. If we wish to continue the momentum for the next seven generations, that begins with ourselves creating positive change today. I brought Na’gu’set to life by using the ancient metalsmithing technique of chasing and repoussé to hammer his sunny form into copper. I then mounted him onto maple wood so that he can be displayed vertically to face everyone as they walk past. My hope is that he will spark positive thoughts and action, big and small, within anyone who catches sight of him.

Small audrey arsenault Audrey Arsenault

Audrey Arsenault (Aud Metal) is a Mi’gmaq metalsmith from northern New Brunswick. Working primarily in copper, she specializes in the ancient techniques of chasing and repoussé, transforming sheet metal into sculptural low-relief forms. Her work explores the healing, resilience, and cultural reclamation of Indigenous women, often incorporating Mi’gmaq motifs and locally significant medicinal plants. Through her practice, Arsenault seeks to honour Indigenous stories while celebrating the enduring strength of community, culture, and language. Arsenault is a graduate of the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design and the University of New Brunswick. Her work is represented by Gallery on Queen and has been exhibited across Canada and is held in the collections of CollectionArtNB, UNB, and NBCCD.