Visual Art

A unique pair of specs offers opportunity to describe your personality to the world, but what if it could also make a difference to vulnerable communities right here in Canada? For years, AYA Optical has partnered with indigenous artists to create intricate eyewear and give back to those in need. Below, we learn the latest from creator Carla D’Angelo! —Rachel Johnston

Hi Carla! What prompted you to collaborate with indigenous artists?

It’s been a long time since I started the line. It was just a creative idea and it started with what I knew. After a while we began to have artists contacting us about partnerships. It took us a while to expand but, when we did, we had such great reception. We let our customers guide us. They were asking for us to include indigenous art and Navajo was specifically requested. So it was really our customers asking us and then the artists started requesting to share their art. We are still developing and will potentially be working with Australian artists as well. And that’s really exciting for me because I grew up there.

Tell us about some of the artists you currently work with?

The newest artist, Kathy Marianito, is a Navajo master weaver from Arizona. I started working with her through the Nizhoni Ranch in Arizona—it’s a community that hosts artists. I was so attracted to her designs and we had already decided we wanted to work with Navajo artists. The inspiration behind our collaboration with her is a memory she had of a rug her great-great-grandfather owned. Her design, Aspen, is lightweight and very sleek. The frames come in matte burgundy or black. Corrine Hunt is a world-renowned Tingit artist from British Columbia. She was our first artist collaboration and her most recent design with us is called Celeste. It’s Italian-inspired and is crafted from acetate replicating a buffalo horn look. Our partnership with Donald Chretien is the most established. He creates incredibly detailed artwork like the intricate Ojibwe turtle design on the frame of his most recent design with us, Turtle Island.

How do partial proceeds help indigenous communities in need?

For the past several years we’ve partnered with one x one—a nutritious breakfast program for at-risk youth. They deal a lot with remote northern indigenous communities in Canada and, so far, we’ve donated more than $100,000. We’re also pleased to pay our artists up front and provide them with a revenue stream.

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