I Am YEG Arts: Cheyenne Rain LeGrande ᑭᒥᐊᐧᐣ
May 26, 2026
Indigenous Futurist and interdisciplinary artist Cheyenne Rain LeGrande ᑭᒥᐊᐧᐣ explores history, knowledge and traditional practices while moving through installation, photography, video, sound, performance art, and most recently, public art. Cheyenne’s work is rooted in the strength to feel, express and heal — a spirit that she has imbued in her new public art project Misi-mîkisak, a 14′ tall beaded earring constructed of colourfully painted fibreglass beads. With the artwork unveiling slated for May 30th, we chatted with Cheyenne about the evolution of her artistic practice, her definition of Indigenous futurism, and the inspiration behind her new public artwork.
You come from an incredibly artistic family, so, was there any doubt that you’d end up pursuing a career in the arts?
I was always surrounded by art, and since I was young, I’ve always wanted to be an artist. I feel very lucky to get to express and tell our stories through this art form. A lot of the generations before me didn’t have this privilege, so I feel very thankful to get to be an artist and be surrounded in my family with artists. We collaborate a lot together, so I guess there wasn’t really a doubt; it’s kind of all I’ve known since I was little, and I’ve always felt very connected to art.
How has your artistic practice changed or evolved over time?
Throughout my journey, especially at the beginning while attending Emily Carr for university, a lot of my work was processing intergenerational trauma — both my Mosum and Kokum attended residential school — I was processing everything that my ancestors have been through to bring me to this point today. Through healing and growth, my work has now come to a place where it’s more about intergenerational resilience, love, and joy. Those are things that I really want people to feel, especially the Indigenous community, when they see my work. Art has always been a way for me to heal. My goal, too, is for other Indigenous folks to be able to feel that healing, joy, and love.
As a multidisciplinary artist, what would be your dream collaboration?
Within the arts specifically, a performance with Rebecca Belmore because she is someone who mentored me after I graduated. She encouraged me to be a performance artist and saw that in my work. I learned about her in school and then getting to connect with her was really cool.
I really, really love the artist FKA Twigs and I have been wanting to somehow gift her my moccasin platforms. I guess that would be a form of dream collab if I got the opportunity to share those pieces with her.
You’ve described your work as Indigenous futurism. Tell us a little bit more about this principle and how it relates to your work.
For me, I use the term to express how my work speaks to the past, speaks from my identity today, but also about the future. For example, in my work, Mullyanne Nîmito, I’ve woven together pop can tabs and ribbon to create this shawl, and for me, that was kind of an act of reclamation. I didn’t get to grow up pow-wow dancing and I wanted to create my own regalia. It was inspired by the fancy shawl but using materials I have access to today. Pop can tabs are something I come across in my life, and I really like the materiality of them and how they move like a garment. The shawl feels protective to me; I feel like its armor.
When I think about the future, I think about where my ancestors would be if it wasn’t for colonization. I think of the amazing things that they would be creating with technology. So, when I’m creating work, I think a lot about what I have access to and I work a lot with projection and video. Those are some of the things I consider when I think about Indigenous futurism.
It’s also about getting to imagine. With this public art piece, it’s a way for me to reimagine the possibilities; taking a tiny little seed bead and making it huge.
Tell us a little bit about the inspiration behind the work and what you hope viewers will take away from seeing it.
When I was selected to be the artist for this project, I was really thankful. As an Indigenous artist, having this piece in Hawrelak Park is really special. I thought a lot about my community and my connections here and how I can honour Indigenous people. I started to think about the traditional practice of beading on hides and floral beadwork, and then I thought about contemporary beadwork, like a beaded fringe earring that a lot of us wear. Fashion is very important to me. I wanted to think about the future, so I chose a beadwork that felt more contemporary to me.
I decided to create a giant beaded earring. The piece is 14 feet tall. I have a mural on 124th street, but this is my first sculptural public art piece. The colours were important to me. I work a lot in pastels; you see pastels across all of my work. Those colours are very playful, very joyful, and they’re also colours that I grew up around, especially in my Kokum and auntie’s houses. I also wanted to include the rainbow, so I chose pastel rainbow colours in the piece that speak about my queer identity, but also to honour all Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer people. I also really wanted the piece to reflect the land and serve as a way to thank the land; the pastel colours also remind me of sunsets. The glossy and shiny quality of the beads shines so beautifully in the sun, and as I mentioned earlier, I hope it makes viewers feel joy and love. I want it to be a celebration of Indigenous people and of our culture, and I’m excited to share it with the world.
Tell us about what you’re currently working on or what you’re planning to pursue next.
A lot of things are happening, but the most recent thing is that I’ll be going to Regina to be a part of an all-Indigenous queer Two-Spirit show at the MacKenzie Art Gallery. I am showing Mullyanne Nîmito. Which includes the performance video, tab shawl, and moccasin platforms.
I am very inspired by my mom [Connie LeGrande/Cikwes] and her music and her use of language. Song was always a way for me to learn the language, so I’m really wanting to expand that. Mullyanne Nîmito included “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, sung by me, and now I’ve created my own song, which is called “Nehiyaw Alien”, which was recently partially translated into Cree. That song is mostly finished. I’m getting more into music, and it’s my goal to write an EP.
I recently learned to sew. I’ve always made garments, but through grommets, lace, and hide — which is, I guess, a form of sewing. It was special because I learned to sew with my late Kokum Yvonne’s sewing machine; it still had the thread in it that she was previously working with. I created a garment and I’m going to hopefully expand on that and learn to sew my own garments. I’m in a fashion show at MacEwan on June 5th, that will be my first time showing a solo collection. I usually collaborate with my brother, mobilize ᐊᐧᐢᑲᐁᐧᐃᐧᐣ, who’s funnily enough also in the show. I’m excited to show how my wearable sculptures and fashion come together. It’ll be the first time really seeing my tab shawls with my hide garments. I’m also going todo my next run of platform moccasins. Those will be coming, I think, this year or next.
Join the Edmonton Arts Council on Saturday, May 30 at 11:00 AM for a special celebration marking the official unveiling of Misi‑mîkisak by artist Cheyenne Rain LeGrande ᑭᒥᐘᐣ, set within the beautiful, newly reopened William Hawrelak Park.
The event will feature remarks from the artist, who will share insights into the inspiration and meaning behind the work, followed by words of reflection from her Elder and a closing song by CIKWES. Following the public art celebration at 11:00 AM, check out the City of Edmonton’s grand reopening event at Hawrelak Park from 12:00 – 4:00 PM. The celebration will feature various activities across the park throughout the day.
About Cheyenne Rain LeGrande ᑭᒥᐊᐧᐣ
Cheyenne Rain LeGrande ᑭᒥᐊᐧᐣ is a Nehiyaw Isko artist, from Bigstone Cree Nation. They currently reside in Amiskwaciy Waskahikan also known as Edmonton, Alberta. Her work often explores history, knowledge and traditional practices. Through the use of their body and language, she speaks to the past, present and future. Cheyenne’s work is rooted in the strength to feel, express and heal. Bringing their ancestors with her, they move through installation, public art, photography, fashion, video, sound, and performance art.
