#christoffleroux — Public Fediverse posts

LONGHOUSE LABS EXTENDS BANGISHIMO’S BUCK SKIN NAKED

On Jan. 19, 2026, Bangishimo’s Buck Skin Naked photography exhibit debuted at Longhouse Labs (LLabs)., featuring portraits spotlighting Indigenous and Afro-Indigenous bodies. The showing for Buck Skin Naked was extended until Apr. 11, 2026. Bangishimo is planning to shift into working on a book later this year, a collection of their photography over the years.  

“We don’t see the beautiful brown, round bodies, the bodies with scars and cellulite and stretch marks and pimples and all those stuff. We always see size zero, beautiful white skin always seen in ads. It’s so hard to see ourselves, especially as Indigenous peoples,” Bangishimo said.  

Bangishimo is the co-director of the Willow River Center and was the most recent artist in residence for LLabs at the University of Waterloo (UW). Their studio assistants were integral to taking all of the photos in the collection.  

LLabs exists to empower, advance, promote and support Indigenous creatives in Waterloo region and beyond. They are located at 263 Phillip Street, East Campus Hall on the UW campus. As an organization they focus on the Fellowship for Indigenous Artists-in-Residents (FAIR) program.  

The UW Fine Arts department invites Indigenous artists to develop their creative work through self-directed artist residencies.  

“Anything to do with the body or sex became very taboo and something you didn’t talk about.  Because those messages get passed through generations, you should be modest and cover yourself up,” Bangishimo said. 

LLabs supports Indigenous creative practices both contemporary and traditional. Bangishimo’s collection of eight pieces ranging from semi-nude to fully nude aim to showcase the decolonized beauty of Afro-Indigenous and Indigenous people.  

“[And we] get this lateral violence from our own community members saying  that’s not who we are. You should cover up. And then people always direct it back to why we get stolen,” Bangishimo said. opened an interesting inner dialogue within Bangishimo over the concept of self-love and acceptance. Originally there were supposed to be 16 photos in the collection, but only eight were selected for the exhibit. Bangishimo plans to either self-publish or find a publisher for a photobook collection of their work, including the whole body of work. 

“The color contrast between each picture and the story that flowed between each picture. And I didn’t even plan that, it just happened that way when we started hanging them up and deciding which picture should go where,” Bangishimo said. 

Bangishimo plans on continuing Buck Skin Naked beyond the published pictures. To celebrate the Indigenous body, they plan on focusing more of their photography towards nudes. Their goal is to help build people up with their self-esteem and promote feeling proud in their own skin. 

GRAND RIVER ROCKS HOSTS BOULDERING NIGHT

Thursday, July 17, 2025, marked this year’s second Boulder Night at Grand River Rocks Waterloo. There were 144 climbers competing across male, female and non-binary categories to climb the 15 climbs, or problems, set specially for the evening. The competition was organized by Grand River Rocks itself, designed to appeal to novice, intermediate and advanced athletes.  

Bouldering is a subcategory of rock climbing, where climbers attempt to reach the top of short climbs, usually around four meters or so, without a rope. These problems often feature more intricate and creative movements than other forms of rock climbing. They are a test of an athlete’s puzzle-solving skills, rather than pure physicality.  

Grand River Rocks’ Boulder Nights use a different format than many other bouldering competitions. Rather than many climbs and points associated with each one based on difficulty, Boulder Night features only 15 problems, all worth the same amount. The competition’s winner is the climber who manages to finish, or top, the most climbs in the fewest number of attempts. 

This competition’s winners were Avery Ingram in the women’s competition, with nine tops in 15 attempts, Andrew Mendoca in the non-binary category, with seven tops in 20 attempts, and Matthew Rodriguez of the men’s contest, who finished all 15 climbs in 29 attempts.  

Boulder Night’s unique structure is designed to make climbing competitions more accessible to the public.  

“This is a great way for somebody to experience their first sort of competitive environment without having to spend a bunch of money to get into it,” Jack Szumilas, head setter of Grand River Rocks, said.  

But monetary constraints are not the only deterrent from competition for casual climbers. Contests can be intimidating, and competing against people can create an unfriendly atmosphere. Again, Boulder Night’s unique structure is designed to mitigate this issue as well.  

“One of the biggest benefits of this kind of competitive environment isn’t the actual competition itself, it’s bringing together people and giving them the opportunity to work on things together,” Szumilas said.  

“When you’re in such a large crowd, and there are such a small amount of boulders to work on, inevitably, you end up talking to somebody, or end up having to work on something together with somebody else and it’s just a good opportunity to meet people, socialize, and also try things that you normally might be too scared or intimidated to try.” 

#andrewMendoca #averyIngram #bouldering #ChristoffLeRoux #GrandRiverRocks #jackSzumilas #localGym #localSports #mathewRoderiguez #rockClimbing #ZackMason

WILLOW RIVER CENTRE FACES FUNDING CUTS

Willow River Centre will temporarily close its doors due to a lack of funding. 

The Centre has served as the first dedicated space for the Two-Spirit and queer Indigenous community in the region. 

Bangishimo Johnston and Amy Smoke, co-founders of the Willow River Centre, are looking to sublet their current space while simultaneously looking for a smaller, more inexpensive place to relocate the Centre.  

The Centre will remain open through June; after that, the Centre will no longer have the funding to remain open. 

Johnston said that they originally began reclaiming space when they started Land Back Camp in Willow River Park in June 2020. 

Four years later, the co-founders of the Centre moved into their physical building.  

Ever since, the Willow River Centre has been a space for gathering and collaboration. Most importantly, it has provided a one-of-a-kind safe space for Indigenous and queer folks in the community.  

“I think we’ve really cultivated a safe space and authentic space for folks to be whoever they are,” Smoke said. 

“There’s been so many great firsts that we’ve witnessed … someone saying for the first time, ‘I’m a queer person,’ or someone saying, ‘I found more about my grandmother, my connection to my Indigeneity’—that can be lifesaving,” they said.  

Roni Noodle, facilitator of the Queer, racialized, Indigenous, Black group (QRIB) through Spectrum—which runs in partnership with the Willow River Centre—said the Centre has been a healing space.  

Specifically, Noodle said the space allows them to feel a sense of belonging with regards to both the queer and Indigenous pieces of their identity.  

“When I’ve been in spaces where I could be racialized, I didn’t feel like I could be queer because it wasn’t safe,” Noodle said.  

“When I go to a queer space, I’m the only racialized person there, and so I don’t feel like I can be both racialized and queer, but [Willow River Centre] has been really helpful for that,” they said. 

“Everyone deserves a space where they can be their whole selves and not just to be tolerated but celebrated. I think that’s a really big deal,” Noodle said. 

Willow River Centre was first started through the Upstream Fund, which was originally allocated to Black and Indigenous groups in the Waterloo region.  

“The region then decided that it should go towards numerous groups in the region, not just black and Indigenous,” Johnston said. 

“It’s great that all these groups can have money, but now there’s very little money being dispersed across all these groups, and a lot of these groups aren’t being supported with a long-term plan,” they said. 

In addition to looking for a smaller space to relocate, the co-founders are open to partnering up with another organization to share their current building, making it more affordable to stay long-term. 

“We chose the site specifically because of the racialized and gender-based violence that has occurred in Willow River Park,” Smoke said. “It’s got quite a violent history. So, we chose to put our bodies on the land in that space.” 

Smoke said that, prior to colonization, the Grand River Watershed was an economic hub of activity where InterNations would meet and gather, making it a significant location for the Centre as well.  

“Our community is still struggling for space today, and not only the Indigenous community, but so many other grassroots groups, so many other racialized groups, queer groups, artistic groups, we’re all fighting for space in the region because there’s so little,” Bangishimo said. 

With June being National Indigenous People’s month and Pride month, Smoke is encouraging the community to support local Indigenous folks and donate. 

“Look to the people around you and how you can be a better ally. Be an accomplice, not an ally,” Smoke said. 

#2SLGBTQIA_ #AmySmoke #artisticGroups #BangishimoJohnston #ChristoffLeRoux #grandRiverWatershed #Indigenous #internations #nationalIndigenousPeoplesMonth #prideMonth #queerGroups #racializedGroups #SafinaJennah #Space #WillowRiverCentre