b'COVER STORYMaxine Noel works in a variety of media, but themes reflecting Indigenous women are often the focus of her workreserve was two miles by one, she says, noting wryly that the Sioux aredescribes it as You have a cloud, and the edges of the cloud are not status in Canada. Nonetheless, she was caught in the same net asshining. Im not sure what they expected of me, but I have to live up other Indigenous children of the time and sent to a residential school,to that.or, as she calls it, a boarding school.Noel credits her maternal grandmother as having helped her succeed. Although Noel recalls drawing throughout her life, she spent the firstShe was always setting me up. She enrolled me in classical piano part of her career as a legal secretary: I moved to Toronto and workedlessons without telling me. Now I understand why she was doing for a brilliant lawyer for 13 or 14 years. I was even approached tothat, she recalls.consider studying law. I didnt have my first [art] show until 1980.The first exhibit of her work, at what was then known as theWORKING ARTISTThompson Gallery on Torontos Queen Street, was reviewed by TheLargely self-taught, Noel works in a variety of media, and sells much Globe and Mail under the headline Laws Loss is Arts Gain. Noel leftof her work online as prints. One particular image embodies the the legal world and began working in various positions within artspower of her work. Not Forgotten, depicting a standing woman with and culture. The 80s were great for artists; everybody was makingshadowy figures behind her, has been a vital force for supporting money, she says, adding that at the beginning, we were all practicallyIndigenous women in Canada. Some proceeds from online sales are poor little starving artists. We used to go to each others openingsdonated to the Native Womens Association of Canada and their because we knew there would be something to eat. Sisters in Spirit project, which was founded in 2005 to document and Noel worked for many years with John Kim Bells Canadian Nativehonour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.Arts Foundation, as it was originally known, including as a costumeAccording to the arts and culture research firm Hill Strategies, designer for the lavish annual awards, televised on CBC. We had athe median income of a visual artist in Canada is $20,000, which great time; the only thing was that I found it was taking a lot of timeunderlines how impressive it is that that image has raised as much away from my art, she says. as $8,000 in three months in royalties, Noel says. Through the As a visual artist, Noel signs her work as Mahpiya Ioyan Mani. ItsCOVID-19 pandemic, she has been using money raised by Not my real name, she explains. It means to walk beyond. My motherForgotten to support Indigenous womens shelters.Ontario Native Womens Association15'