Sandra Moore (Sam) not only creates Native art but she believes in teaching others how to create it, too. Sam offers classes in her home teaching space, as well, she and her husband, Barry, travel around Ontario (and beyond) to share her knowledge of traditional Native art.
Sam and Barry’s love extends far beyond their relationship, they share a love of the outdoors and Barry will always be seen with Sam helping with so many of the things she does to create art. Barry tramps through the woods to help her collect birch bark, spends laborious hours washing and cleaning the bark, and these days he pulls the quills from porcupines while she’s busy with other things. Barry also travels with Sandra to different First Nations where he will often be found helping her with whichever class she is teaching and making friends with the class participants.
As if she weren’t busy enough, Sam decided that she needed something else to do in her retired spare time, so in June 2021 she bought Pogadakamagizowin, the original Native Fabric Store, from Annette and Perry Poeta. After being a consumer of Pogadakamagizowin’s fabulous fabric for all the 28 years that Perry and Annette owned the business and touching fabric almost every day herself, it seemed a great fit for Sandra to make room in her already full sewing space to store, cut and package fabric for other sewers. Sandra had run her own Art business for several years under the banner Creators Gifts Cultural Art. After she purchased the fabric business from Perry and Annette, Sandra decided to combine the businesses and Creators Gifts was born.
Sam is a Michisaagiig Ojibwe woman from Hiawatha First Nation. Her Anishnaabe name is Mkwa Kwe Binnoojii – Bear Woman Child. She is a Mom, Grandmother, Auntie and wife. Sandra and Barry have been retired since 2013 and they returned home to Hiawatha First Nation in 2014 and built their dream home on the shore of Rice Lake. Oddly enough, their home is situated on the bay where Sam spent her childhood summers paddling the canoe and looking for turtles.
