Alumni Digest / U of T / Ideas /
Jasmine Wemigwans paints a thread of knowledge
An acrylic self-portrait connects the information graduate's Anishinaabe worldview with questions about how libraries classify and respect Indigenous knowledge.
The context
Where the work begins
Jasmine Wemigwans returned to painting during her Master of Information studies, using an acrylic self-portrait to connect coursework with her Indigenous identity. From Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory and of mixed Ojibwe heritage, she reworked Leonardo da Vinci's Saint John the Baptist through an Indigenous lens. Her hand points toward a Medicine Wheel.
The takeaway
What follows
A red thread links the painting to an information studies concept introduced in Jenna Hartel's course and to threads used in tobacco ties and medicine bundles. An Ontario Arts Council bursary paid for supplies. After graduating in 2025, Wemigwans began developing an Indigenous data sovereignty protocol at U of T's Technoscience Research Unit.
Source reporting
Jasmine Wemigwans paints a thread of knowledge
Original summary by Alumni Digest, based on public source reporting. This independent publication is not affiliated with or endorsed by the University of Toronto. Source image retained for editorial review; rights clearance is still required before any broader reuse.
