Amber Waboose Kimewon of the Bear Clan is an Anishinaabekwe and Ojibwe artist from Batchewana First Nation in Robinson-Huron Treaty territory. Her artistic practice includes porcupine quillwork on birchbark, two-dimensional art, and other traditional and contemporary forms. Through her work, Amber is committed to supporting cultural education, preserving Anishinaabek artistic practices, and helping revitalize traditional knowledge for future generations.  

Makatew Workshops was founded in 2019 by Marc Forgette, a French Algonquin member of the Apitipi Anicinapek Nation (formerly Wahgoshig First Nation). His journey began as a personal search for identity and belonging, one that led him to discover his great aunt’s work as a leatherworker and his fourth-great-grandfather’s family name, Makatew—meaning “Black”—a name later lost through colonization. ​With a hunger for purpose and a vision to reclaim his heritage, Marc created Makatew Workshops as a way to share culture, knowledge, and tradition through hands-on experiences. Today, he pours his heart into facilitating workshops and speaking engagements that blend creativity with education, inviting others to learn, connect, and take part in reconciliation.