Susan Blight facts for kids

Susan Blight is a talented artist, filmmaker, and teacher from the Couchiching First Nation. She is part of the Anishinaabe people. Susan's art often explores who we are and where we belong. This is especially true for her public art in Toronto, Ontario.

In 2016, the City of Toronto put up street signs with Anishinaabe names. This happened because of the Ogimaa Mikana Project, which Susan Blight helped start.

Susan Blight's Education Journey

Susan Blight has studied at several universities. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Windsor. Her studies there focused on Integrated Media.

She also has two Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees from the University of Manitoba. One degree is in Photography, and the other is in Film studies. As of July 2025, she is working on her PhD at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Her PhD is in Social Justice Education.

Susan Blight's Creative Career

Susan Blight creates art that mixes different forms. Her projects often combine public art with Anishinaabe culture, language, and history.

Early Work and Radio Show

In 2008, Susan Blight's photographs were shown in a group exhibition. This exhibition took place at the Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography.

In the early 2010s, Susan also co-hosted a radio show. The show was called Indigenous Waves.

The Ogimaa Mikana Project

In 2013, Susan Blight and her friend Hayden King started the Ogimaa Mikana Project. This project is an artist group that helps bring back Indigenous place names to Toronto's streets. They do this by putting up billboards with Anishinaabemowin phrases. They also put stickers with Anishinaabemowin names on street signs.

Susan explained one billboard in Parkdale, Toronto. She said it reminded people of the 15,000-year history of Indigenous people in Toronto. It also helped affirm their connection to their language. This language is important for their spiritual, political, and health well-being. This project was a response to changes in the neighborhood.

Three years later, in 2016, the City of Toronto worked with the Ogimaa Mikana Project. They placed official Anishinaabe street signs in The Annex neighborhood. Susan Blight and Hayden King helped guide this effort.

In 2018, the Ogimaa Mikana Project took part in an art exhibition. It was called Soundings: An exhibition in Five Parts. For this show, they created an outdoor art piece called Never Stuck. It was a vinyl design placed on Mackintosh-Corry Hall at Queen's University.