b'HEALING ARTT he Ontario Native Womens Association (ONWA) believes strongly in the power of art in healing and has embraced a number of artistic initiatives to strengthen this link. The association has a growing collection of artwork housed at its sites across the province, with many pieces developed in collaboration with Indigenous communities and artists. Among them are a number of special creations intended to commemorate Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), or to help others with the healing process. At the ONWA building on Ray Boulevard in Thunder Bay, unique artwork relating to the MMIWG crisis is sometimes put on display. Some pieces were acquired as gifts; others are an outcome of community healing projects. To expose the work to a larger audience, pieces are also loaned out to other exhibits, most recently to a mini-exhibit assembled for the Calls for Justice Working Group session hosted last March at the citys Best Western Plus NorWester Hotel.The work on display included pieces by individual artists, such as a painting by Vanessa Netemegesic donated to ONWA because of the work the organization was doing for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Netemegisic shared the story of herExamples of Indigenous artwork exhibited by or in collaboration with ONWA depicting themes tied to MMIWGhealing journey from cancer and how art played a huge role in her recovery. Other artwork is tied to specific community projects. For example, on November 25 of each year (the UNs International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women), ONWA holds its Strong Hands Stop Violence poetry night with songs, stories, poems and the launch of a poetry book compiled from the previous years writings. Participants are invited to share an imprint of their hand, and the marks of many hands have been framed and now make up part of the exhibit.Developing In another initiative, families affected by MMIWG were invited to create quiltPrevention - New squares using beading, painting or writingBeginnings services to to honour and remember the lives of their lost loved ones. A total of 126 squaresmeet the needs of were joined together to form a quilt calledcommunities, children Threads of Life, which hangs in the ONWAand families. kunuwanimano.comThunder Bay Ray Blvd foyer.Ontario Native Womens Association17'