On display from March 29 – May 9, 2026, in The Sunroom at Central Library, Jipijka'm Skin, by Diane Langevin.
About the Exhibit
The Jipijka’m (Great Horned Serpent) is a shape-shifting, semi-aquatic sea serpent who moves through the depths, often unseen. It appears only when the world is ready for it, and each reappearance carries knowledge and strength greater than before.
In this form, Jipijka'm hangs on a drying rack: a place of preparation, transformation, and endurance. Its shape is tied to wood that once held new life, a reminder that what is taken can never erase what exists in love, care, and memory.
For generations, families, language, and stories have been disrupted, removed, or suppressed in Mi'kma'ki and across Turtle Island. Yet their histories endure, carried beneath the surface, resilient. The Jipijka’m embodies that endurance: culture, knowledge, and spirit that cannot be taken, no matter the force applied.
To see it is to witness persistence. To honour it is to acknowledge both loss and the certainty of revival.
This piece is dedicated to my grandson, Linkon.
About the Artist
Diane Langevin (BA, NSCAD 2021; MAED, NSCAD 2025) is an artist, art educator, and member of Millbrook First Nation. Raised in Spryfield, Nova Scotia, she creates work that explores Mi’kmaq cultural resurgence, identity, and the recovery of knowledge disrupted by colonialism.
Working across textiles, soft sculpture, and art education, Langevin makes culturally grounded objects that invite connection, learning, and shared remembrance.
The Sunroom is made possible by the generosity of Margot and Layne Spafford.
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