P.J. Anderson is an artist and MFA candidate with a talent for ceramics.
“It’s just I really like making vessels, like, making actual pots,” Anderson said in an interview.
“That’s what I love to do, and it’s my happy place.“
Originally from Thompson, Man., Anderson is of both Indigenous and African descent. When she’s creating, she incorporates techniques from both cultures in her work.
Anderson says her current project is something that’s pushing her well out of her comfort zone – a human-sized sculpture of a robot.
“I wanted to do something different, that was out of character, that was just trying something new.”
The one thing Anderson is missing is a larger sense of community around pottery.
“I wish that there was more interest or more ability for the Black community in Manitoba to make pots, because it’s like a really strong part of most cultural practices throughout almost all of Africa that I’ve heard about,” she said.
“I really wish that there was more ways that I could make those kinds of connections to introduce it to more children of colour.”
When it comes to Black History Month, Anderson says she feels strange about the topic.
“I personally feel like a lot of companies seem to go out of their way to disenfranchise Black people, suddenly, you’re super pro-Black people. Same thing with gay Pride month,” she said.
“If we know about the Canadian contributions of Black people and Indigenous people … then we shouldn’t need a Black History Month.”