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Artist donates original paintings to Timmins Museum in support of Indigenous women

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TIMMINS -

When Molly McTiernan, the development and marketing coordinator at the Timmins Museum: National Exhibition saw Johanne Lamarche's art, she was inspired. 

“It’s very deep. When you look at it, it’s abstract and it’s not just something typical that you see every day," said McTiernan. 

McTiernan met Lamarche who was in town this fall visiting family.  

"She was very moved by the work and I was very moved by her interest in the creation of the work," said Lamarche.  I said to her, I’m going to leave you this work, I think it belongs in Timmins. I’d like to do something good with this work and I would like to find a charity that I can donate it to that might have an Indigenous connection.”

When Lamarche was growing up in Timmins, she said she was aware that Indigenous peoples dealt with issues, and realized the gravity of them when she heard about the residential school gravesites. 

"You feel like you’re really helpless when  news like the residential school horrific discoveries were made and I thought art can heal," said Lamarche. 

Each painting is one-hundred and fifty dollars and every cent will be given to the Timmins and Area Women in Crisis.  Centre officials said donations help cover costs that government funding won't. 

“For example, if a woman needs to get out of the province and she’s trying to back to her home province of say Alberta, victim services can only pay within the province so when she hits Thunder Bay there’s no dollars to get her outside of that so we can help provide that additional support." explained Julie Nobert-DeMarchi, executive director of Timmins and Area Women in Crisis. 

Lamarche, a retired periodontist, lives in Philadelphia.  She said her favourite medium is an ancient one, involving adding beeswax to oil.  

The original works she donated to the museum are matted, signed by Lamarche and are ready for framing. 

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