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. Published in Alumni Digest as verified reporting from the University of Toronto.

An acrylic self-portrait connects the information graduate's Anishinaabe worldview with questions about how libraries classify and respect Indigenous knowledge.

Alumni Digest editorial deskSeptember 18, 20263 min read

In the September issue

Campus

University of TorontoSt. George, Mississauga & Scarborough

Focus

Research & public discoveryIdeas

Outcome

Verified reportingSeptember 2026 issue

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.

Jasmine Wemigwans paints a thread of knowledge

Where the work begins

What follows

Get the next story in your inbox.

You might also like

Arda Minocherhomjee returns support to doctoral students

Fieldwork helped Hargun Rekhi find her place

U of T ties among national honourees