In late January of 2017, Barb Kentner, an Anishinaabe woman and resident of Thunder Bay, was hit in the stomach with a trailer hitch thrown by a man in a passing vehicle. Tragically, Barb passed away from complications related to her injuries, leaving behind her teenage daughter, Serena.
Serena, who was attending Dryden High School, was diagnosed with Leukemia last year and had to move to Ottawa, where she received a bone marrow transplant and will undergo further treatment.
Cynthia Palermo, an artist and teacher who got to know Serena while she attended high school in Dryden, has organized an online art auction to raise funds to assist Serena during this difficult time. To date, over 75 pieces of original art, prints and other handcrafted items from Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists have been donated.
The auction is open today until March 14th! Visit The Helping Serena Project on Facebook for more information on the art and how to bid.
We hope you decide to take one of these pieces home! If you’d like to donate instead, you can do so by clicking on the following link:
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/HIP/campaign/helping-serena-project
A few of artists featured:
Goyce Kakegamic – Woodland artist personally donated a signed print and poem for his piece Metamorphosis
Jennifer Caie – Northwestern Ontario artist donated an original 12×48″ original acrylic painting which she painted specifically for this project
Tina Gardner – Indigenous artist from Thunder Bay donated a 30×40″ original acrylic painting
Nina Antonakes – Canadian artist donated a 24×48″ original acrylic painting
Cynthia Palermo – Canadian artist donated a 30×40″ original acrylic painting
Anne Siciliano – Canadian artist donated
Gayle Kupsch – Canadian potter donated a hand crafted tea set
Marcus Ledsham – Artisan donated a set of Black Ash and epoxy hand crafted end tables
THANK YOU for your support!