About
I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.
~Pablo Picasso
Janey Chang (she/her) is an Artist + Educator, Fish Skin Tanner + Revivalist, Mother + Human Being on a path of remembering how to be human and alive through the (re)learning of ancestral skills. She is a first generation Chinese Canadian woman living on beautiful Skwxwú7mesh and Tsleil-Waututh Territory at the foot of the mountains and close to the ocean. Many of her teachers and mentors have taught her what it means to truly connect to the land in deep ways that have encouraged her to explore her own cultural heritage. The complex layers of her sense of identity are in a constant state of unraveling as she explores connections to her own human-ness and how she engages with the world and people around her. She tells stories through her art using materials from nature, with a focus on environmental conservation and her love for salmon. She has had the honour of teaching classes and workshops to all ages on fish skin leather, natural fibre cordage, natural dyes, fire craft, hide tanning, ukelele + drumming, wilderness survival skills, jump rope, leather tooling, coal-burned spoons, and more. She interweaves personal stories and encourages self-reflection in her experiential classes. Janey is new to fly fishing and it has quickly become her meditation, inspiration and complement to her art practice.
Janey finds inspiration from her time in nature. She works with materials from the earth, including salmon skin leather, cedar bark and wood, buckskin, stinging nettle, willow, and birch bark to name a few. She is passionate about helping people to connect with nature, culture and community and firmly believes that creativity is essential to living a full and joyous existence. Making things with her own hands and spending time in the mountains occupies her thoughts and life on a regular basis. Some recent projects include working in the Film Industry as an Ancient Technology Specialist and Advisor building specialized earth-based props, and teaching traditional hide tanning to a Skwxwú7mesh Language Immersion Class. Her main focus is on fish skin tanning and would be happy to come and facilitate an experience with your group.
