Portraits in RED

A note about the project from the artist

A little over a year ago I shared publicly that I would be slowing down and eventually ending the project due to ongoing personal medical issues. It has come to the point where the last of the exhibits are happening and the next steps in the end of the project will begin.

During the next year to two years, I will be undergoing the process of returning the paintings to their families or facilitating the result the families would like for their painting. From the beginning I have not profited in any way from this work and will continue this till each painting has found their way home.

This means I will NOT BE BOOKING MORE EXHIBITS for this work.

The plan for the families and their portraits is outlined below. If you are someone I have painted or the family member of someone I have painted and would like to reach out in regard to this, please do. My email is always open to you and if I haven't reached out, yet I will shortly. However, you are more than welcome to contact me and start the process. I would estimate this process will take at least a year to be in contact with everyone and set the motion in place for the outcome desired for each painting.

The plan-

Each individual or family who I painted a portrait for will have the choice of what happens with their painting. The following choices are what I have come up with but if someone has an alternative Idea, I am very open to seeing if it's possible.

Option 1- I send the painting to the individual or family, as always absolutely no charge whatsoever to the family or individual. I would find a way to have the shipping sponsored or just pay for it myself. And no… even if you offer and insist on paying the shipping I will find another way to do so which both doesn't make me money and also makes sure you receive your painting safely and respectfully. Option 1 is my preferred resolution for the work; however, I can understand where in some cases a family might not want to have such a portrait in their home. In some cases, the paintings are very large in scale also.

Option 2- The painting can be donated anywhere you would like. This means to a museum, an institution, a cultural center etc. This would be done via contract with whatever location it was donated to, and the artwork would belong to the individual or family and be donated in their/your name.

Option 3- The painting can be sold through a gallery or auction house and the money from the sale can go to one of two places, or a combination of the two-

Place 1- to the family or individual. I understand a lot of families affected by this are struggling. This sale would be handled through a reputable sales agent who would pay the family or individual directly. I would not be involved in any way with the exchange of funds, only facilitating the arrangement.

Place 2- Donate the funds raised by the sale to a charity of your choosing.

Combination - Divide the funds raised by the sale between a charity and the family/individual in any percentage chosen by the family/individual.

The only caveat with selling the work is that it would be difficult to find a broker who wouldn't take a fee and therefore profit from the sale. If you choose this option keep this in mind. I’ve been very careful to prevent anyone from profiting from the work as best as I can. But this would introduce an element of that to things.

Please keep in mind this process will take time. Even after we establish what you or your family would like to do with the portrait it will take time to coordinate a donation or sale. If you would like to go my preferred method and have me, send you the painting that will take place over time as I can either afford to or have shipping cost donated in a way where I don’t touch money. Those within driving distance of me I will deliver.

If you have ANY questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. I'm so grateful for being able to do this to serve the greater community and will do my absolute best to wrap things up in a respectful and transparent way.

My thanks go to the individuals and families who have entrusted me with their loved ones' images and stories. I can't express the healing it has brought me to do this work. I hope you understand that in doing work like this it is important to know when to stop as well as when to begin. Thank you for your patience as I know it has taken a while for some of you to receive your prints since I have been paying for them myself. If for any reason anyone hasn't received theirs yet (some I sent were lost in the mail and I ended up sending another set) please let me know so that I can make sure they arrive safely to you. Moving forward each family or individual will receive the high-resolution file of the painting (If you haven't already, which many have). Rights to the images will belong to both myself and the family or individual I have painted. I only ask that the paintings not be merchandised. I have worked hard to prevent anyone from doing so and I have never done so out of respect for those I have painted. As such I would ask the families to do the same with their loved ones' portraits. Having those files will help your family make additional prints moving forward if you need or want them.

If anyone would like to have their loved one painted, I will still take requests and paint them as I am able. However instead of exhibiting them etc. they will simply be painted and then the painting will immediately be sent to the family or person who requested it done.

What is MMIWG2S / MMIW / MMIWG / MMIP...

Missing and Murdered Indigenous women, girls, two spirit / People is a crisis effecting indigenous communities all over turtle Island. (North America)

The National Crime Information Center revealed that there were, as of 2016, 5.712 reports of Missing & Murdered American Indian and Alaskan Native women and girls. This makes Indigenous women & girls 11 times more likely to be victims of violence than most other demographics across the US. Canada's numbers are comparable. Indigenous men are 4 times more likely.

Murder is the third leading cause of death for indigenous people just after cancer and heart disease. This can be compared to the over all national leading causes of death where for the average non indigenous American Murder does not even make it into the top 12 leading causes of death.

Information and resources -

https://www.doi.gov/ocl/mmiw-crisis

https://www.nativehope.org/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-mmiw

https://www.nativewomenswilderness.org/mmiw/

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2021-11-01/how-states-are-addressing-the-missing-indigenous-women-crisis

https://www.niwrc.org/policy-center/mmiw

https://www.uihi.org/resources/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-girls/

https://www.wernative.org/articles/what-is-the-mmiw-movement

https://mmiwusa.org/

https://www.powwows.com/the-tragedy-of-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-mmiw/

Statistics

About 4 out of 5 Native women have experienced violence
Native women were about twice as likely than most other women to experience violence
Native women face murder rates 11 times the national average
The murder rate for Native women is about 3 times more than that of most other women.
98% of Indigenous people experience violence in their lifetime
There is only a 6% prosecution rate

Missing & Murdered Indigenous People

The majority of perpetrators of these crimes are non-indigenous and this is happening both on and off the reservations and all over Turtle Island (North America). The US and Canadian Government have done very little so far to address these issues and most of the cases go unsolved and often uninvestigated to this day. This crisis does not only affect enrolled indigenous people or those living on reservations and in remote areas. The families coming to me are from all over Turtle Island and encompass all different Indigenous backgrounds and locations. This is a result of a lot of complicated issues which affect us all, from inter generational trauma, male dominated extractive industries, human trafficking, domestic violence and more. There is not one easy answer or solution for this. It is a complex issue that has its roots in the legal language set forth by the US and Canadian Governments and is echoed in policies which are continued to this day.

Charities to donate to -

https://www.niwrc.org/policy-center/mmiw

https://www.nativehope.org/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-mmiw

https://mmiwusa.org/

https://rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1590523702000/1590523850562

https://www.nwac.ca/

https://airc.ucsc.edu/resources/mmiwg.html

https://www.csvanw.org/mmiw/

(If you have a charity you think should be added to this list please message me with the link and I will check them out and add them to the list)

Nayana LaFond - Artist