Thunderbird House auctions Indigenous art to restore roof

Beautiful pieces of Indigenous art were up for auction at Thunderbird House Wednesday evening to help patch the roof of the unique building.

The Reborn Under the Solstice Moon Pinaysiwiigamic fundraiser featured work by Indigenous artists including Daphne Odjig, Randy Ducharme and a special piece by Aaron Paquette.

Long-time volunteer Ko'ona Cochrane donated the Paquette piece after she purchased it during a fundraiser for people impacted by the Fort McMurray fires.

"It's something that I wanted to give to the community," she said.

The piece of art was donated at Wednesday's event and people can bid online, starting at $5,000, until the summer solstice in June.

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The Thunderbird house was designed by renowned architect Douglas Cardinal and built 16 years ago.

Cochrane said sometimes just paying their monthly bills can be difficult, so a leaky roof can be devastating.

"Raising additional funds for something of that magnitude is always difficult," she said.

The community has stepped up through the art auction and a GoFundMe page. Theirgoal is to raise $25,000.

Cochrane said she donated the art to the effort because Thunderbird House is important to the community.

"It's been a sanctuary. It's been some place that I can come to that's safe, that's accepting, that's loving," she said.

"It's some place that I willingly give my time and effort to because I see its positive effect on the community everyday."