Michele-Elise Burnett

President/Artistic Director/Assistant Director

Michele-Elise Burnett, Métis of Ontario citizen with Algonquin roots, Bear Clan, is President of Kakekalanicks, an Indigenous arts and consultancy company which helps promote and educate Indigenous art and artists to a broad audience. Ms. Burnett is the president of Landscape of Nations 360°, a unique national Indigenous education and tourism initiative; Artpark’s Indigenous Producer of Arts; the creator and Artistic Director of the Celebration of Nations, and the Artistic Producer of Artpark’s Annual Strawberry Moon Festival, curator and producer of The Red Dress Exhibit: If only these Dress Could Tell their Story and Mino Bimaadiziwin: An Indigenous Journey Through the Arts, all providing a far-reaching platform for the community to embrace and honour the unique heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding achievements of Indigenous peoples.

Michele-Elise has been very involved in several Indigenous public installations over the past few years.  She served as Co-Advancement Director and Inaugural Unveiling Producer for Landscape of Nations: The Six Nations & Native Allies Commemorative Memorial, at Queenston Heights, committee member for the Carlisle Street Public Art Project which chose the exquisite Curtain Call installation created by Lilly Otasevic that is proudly displayed on the outside wall of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre and serves as a legacy project of the Celebration of Nations and the City of St. Catharines. In addition, Michele-Elise conceptualized and oversaw the building of the Native American Peace Garden installation at ArtPark, The Indigenous Unity Garden in Thorold Ontario and produced two 65-minute Indigenous site reactive audio journeys along Artpark’s trails called Her Moccasins Talk and Rekindling All our Relations, a journey into the Niagara Glen.

 Ms. Burnett started her career in the radio industry.  After graduating from Ryerson University’s School of Radio and Television Arts, she became a third-generation radio business owner in an industry pioneered by her father and grandfather. Later, partnering with her mother, she owned and operated the most powerful signal in the Niagara Region, Spirit 91.7 FM Radio. The accomplished mother/daughter team was the first Indigenous people to be granted two private broadcasting licenses in Canada.  Ms. Burnett applied her radio experience in sales, marketing, production, and event planning to LON 360°, which has been entrusted by several Niagara partners to help curate, develop and implement Indigenous Experiences, educational programs, events and site tours.    

Terar Dum Prosim (May I be consumed in service) motto from her education at Ridley College is a way of life for Michele-Elise.  She is the Co-Chair of the Indigenous Health Conference 2020, after serving seven years as a Board of Trustees at Brock University and Co-Chairing the Aboriginal Education Council, she has been bestowed the great honour to become a Board of Trustees Emeritus at Brock University.  She serves as a Board member of the Ridley College Fund USA and on the Niagara 2021 Canada Summer Games Board where she created and chair’s the Indigenous Partnership Council for the 2022 Canada Summer Games being held in Niagara.

In 2018, she was the recipient of the Culture Arts Award from the GNCC Women in Niagara for her success and contributions to the community; in 2020 was recognized as one of Welland Historical Muesum’s Notable People in their virtual tour, in 2022 onored with Leadership Niagara’s Distinguished Alumni Award and presented with the 2023 International Women’s Day Award by the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce.

 Fiercely proud of her heritage, Ms. Burnett has demonstrated that an individual like her, who is inspired and passionate about making positive changes in our world, can wake up every day and follow and achieve their dreams. A strong proponent of Indigenous aspirations, she fosters a dream to unite, share, and respect each other’s Nations and to build a stronger Indigenous future filled with pride, dignity, and honour that will carry on for seven generations.

meburnett16@gmail.com

Courtney Copoc

Courtney is of mixed ancestry, a proud Lenape, person of Eelünaapéewi Lahkéewiit (Delaware Nation), Turtle Clan from the Hopkins family and European decent. She is a first-generation university graduate, an intergenerational cycle-breaker, traveler, thrill seeker, and an unapologetic dreamer. As an intuitive urban Indigenous woman, Courtney shares a deep-rooted passion for empowering the voices of her community and advocates for inclusion and higher education. Most recently, she was chosen as one of Canada’s emerging Indigenous leaders by RavenSPEAK 2021, sharing her talk "Coming Home".

Courtney has committed to reconnecting to her Indigenous kinship, embracing her culture, and most importantly taking pride in her Indigenous identity. Consistently, she brings forth positivity, love and dedication to being the person she needed when she was younger. She hopes to inspire, uplift, and reminds us to always dream big.

courtneycopoc@live.com | 604-916-8579

Zander Burnett-Metz

Born in Florida and based out of Buffalo and Toronto, Zander chose to study Film Studies at Brock University and Film Production at Weengushk Film Institute. Zander is a writer, director and producer of short films and has worked in the sound department as a boom operator, mixer, and sound utility for many professional feature films, TV productions and commercials. Such productions include: "Trew Calling" (2015), "Two for One" (2016), "MTV: True Life" (2016), and "Johnny Gruesome" (2017). Zander is currently working on a new project due to be released Summer 2017.

Michael Gruyich

Michael Gruyich was born and raised in Niagara Falls. He received his BA from Trinity College, University of Toronto and his MBA from Niagara University, Lewiston, NY. Michael and his family have owned and operated a business in the Niagara area for over 80 years. He is currently President of Niagara Duty Free, an award-winning duty-free store located at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls. Michael is very active in the community and was Honorary Capital Campaign Chair for the Bethlehem Housing and Support Services Kenmore Court Building in Niagara Falls which provides permanent housing for men, women and families in Niagara with low to moderate income. Michael is a board member with Landscape of Nations 360° Inc. not for profit organization and until recently a board member with BravoNiagara! Festival of the Arts in the Niagara Region. Michael volunteers his time with the Lifeline Humanitarian Organization, helping to support orphanages, safe houses for children rescued from human trafficking, homes for the elderly, and hospitals in Serbia. 

Our Roster Includes

Nicole Joy-Fraser

Nicole Joy-Fraser (Bear Clan-Cree, Métis, Denezaa -Treaty 8 and Settler Heritage) began her Performing Arts career as a top soprano for The Nathaniel Dett Chorale while completing her graduating year at Toronto’s Randolph Academy. Less than a year later she was cast in the Original Toronto cast of Mamma Mia! which followed with a US Tour and inspired her to pack her bags and travel to London, England. Nicoleeventually made her West End debut in the multi-award-winning "Jerry Springer-the Opera" and settled in the U.K. for several years. Being an adoptee, she yearned to make her way back to Turtle Island to find out more about her Indigenous roots and is thankful for the Toronto Aboriginal Community, Native Earth, Red Sky and Unsettled Scores for helping her reclaim her identity. Selected credits include; “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” (UK Tour & Athens, Greece), “Giiwedin-A First Nations Opera”, (Native Earth/Indien Rights), “The Penelopiad” (Nightwood), “Evangeline” (Charlottetown Festival), “Stag and Doe”, “Ipperwash” (Blyth Festival) “Baroness Von Sketch” (CBC) and most recently “Quebexit” (Telefilm). Nicole lives in Niagara-on-the-Lake with her partner and son and has been carving out cultural community work with various organizations in the Niagara Region promoting and sharing Indigenous ways of knowing.

Lydia Ruth Project by April Mitchell-Boudreau

Lydia Ruth is a Truth and Reconciliation project named after April Mitchell-Boudreau’s great-grandmother and last relative to be in a Residential School. The Lydia Ruth Project takes the participants on a journey to better understand the effects of colonialism on families through Intergenerational Trauma and environment. Participants will learn about a path toward healing through the Arts and creativity by telling their own narrative through beading, and will leave the workshop with a beaded bracelet. April Mitchell-Boudreau is a Turtle Clan Mohawk with roots at Six Nations. She is a jewelry designer who’s work is in 60 stores across Ontario, and she is passionate about awakening the Creator that lives in each and every one of us. The Lydia Ruth Project is raising funds for post-secondary Arts scholarships for Indigenous students.