Sarah Jim
Spring Tide Project Logo
Illustration and Design - 2020
About the Artist: Sarah Jim is an emerging artist of mixed ancestry, and is a member of the W̱SÁNEĆ nation from the Tseycum village. She has received a Bachelor’s Degree of Fine Arts from the University of Victoria and emulates her love of nature and native plant knowledge through her artwork. Environmental restoration work has been her main source of inspiration since 2018 when she started working in SṈIDȻEȽ; the first W̱SÁNEĆ village site. Working on the land has resulted in deep insights of how language, culture, traditional knowledge, and art are all intimately connected to the natural realm. Learning about the direct connection between culture and place has helped empower Sarah as a W̱SÁNEĆ person and a Coast Salish artist. Her curiosity, love, and admiration for the outdoors and native plants continues to propel her in a direction that helps heal the community, land, and herself through plant medicines, native foods, restoration work, and creating place-based artwork. (cited from www.sarahjimstudio.com)
What inspired you to create this piece for the Spring Tide Project?
All elements on earth are interconnected and rely on one another's good health to thrive. This design shows that the land, sea, and sky are all one and cannot exist in isolation. Nature works together to create a cohesive whole. We are all connected and live under the same sky. In W̱SÁNEĆ culture, we live within a 13 moon cycle. This way of life is guided by the seasons and living within the laws of the land. The crescent moon is representative of new beginnings and hopeful futures. The youth are waxing moons; they are illuminating the future by having their voices heard. I wanted to honour my Coast Salish heritage by incorporating crescents which are commonly found in Salish art.