When Telus sought out First Nations artists, both women were chosen to collaborate and began working together in June of 2022.
She drew on her clan animal, the bear, and the connection to the land through food, creating a beautiful stylized bear holding a salmon in its mouth.
Gilbert, who is 2o and in her third year at the University of Victoria in the Fine Arts Program, said she drew on the idea of reconnecting to culture through the land and the use of personified animal characters in cultural storytelling.
The two artworks come together beautifully in the final piece, combining vibrant animals connected to the land through local food.