Giinawind Co.

Collective Art Space Opens on South Side

Jacenia Desmoulin, a self-taught tattoo and mixed-media artist, had been operating a steadily growing tattoo business out of her home since 2017. More and more, she says, clients had been asking when she would take the leap to opening a standalone studio. Her answer was always the same: “When the right space comes along.”

And now, the right space has come along.

In October, Desmoulin officially launched the Giinawind Co. Collective Art Space. The bright, two-storey space features larger and smaller galleries on the ground floor, with room for offices and studios upstairs. Exposed brick and lots of wood accents give the space an organic feel. “I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for until I saw the space, and then I knew that it was exactly what I was looking for,” says Desmoulin, a member of Biigtigong Nishnaabeg First Nation. She recently worked with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks to create the graphic design for its Native American Initiatives webpage.

At Giinawind Co. (pronounced with a hard G), Desmoulin will be joined by fellow tattoo artist Dean McColeman, as well as musician Benjamin Murray of the Earthling Art Collective. They hope to expand the collective to include a wide variety of fellow artists who will set up studios, teach classes, and display work.

From concept to launch, Giinawind Co. has come together in only a matter of months. “It’s been very fast, and very serendipitous,” says Desmoulinwho normally regards herself as a planner. But if the events of the last couple years have shown us anything, it’s that even the best-laid plans can go awry — as Desmoulin found out this past year when the pandemic, a brain injury, and a layoff forced her to rethink her plans and her priorities. In response, she took herself on a daylong hike to the Sleeping Giant. “I was out there for seven hours, entirely unprepared, with no food,” she recalls, laughing. “There was a lot of crying, a lot of self reflection. I really can’t recommend that anyone else do that, but it was also an awakening. I thought, ‘Why do I need to know what will happen next? Why can’t I just focus on what’s happening right now?’”

Desmoulin envisions Giinawind Co. as an events space, hosting exhibitions, classes, concerts, paint nights, comedy shows, and a variety of other happenings that bring together artists and community members. One of the collective’s main priorities is apprenticeship: she sees it as a space where more established artists can teach and nurture the next generation.

Most importantly, she says, “Giinawind is inclusive. Giinawind means ‘we’ in Ojibway. We are an Indigenous-led and Indigenous-founded collective, but we are open to everyone.”

The Giinawind Co. Collective Art Space is located at 311 Victoria Avenue East. On Instagram, follow the gallery @giinawind_co and Desmoulin @ice.bear.studios, or visit giinawind.com.