The walls, shelves, and desks of Lac La Biche Outreach School are adorned with the vibrant creations of local artist Andrew Boostrum colourful dreamcatchers, intricately carved walking sticks, and other handmade treasures.
"After COVID Andrew really became part of our family," said Lac La Biche Outreach teacher Jill Toutant. "He started coming by for coffee and he started sharing his art with us, and it's grown into something much larger."
Boostrum's connection with the school began when his son was attending. After his son graduated in 2023, Boostrum continued to volunteer, generously sharing his time and talents with students and staff. In June, the school presented Boostrum with a Volunteer of the Year Award for all of the work he has done with students and staff over the last several years.
"He's done incredible work with our students," said Toutant, "from wood burning and beading workshops to creating dreamcatchers and working with our Student Advocate, Crystal Anderson, on medicine wheel teachings."
Boostrum and Anderson's collaboration resulted in a powerful medicine wheel that illustrates how imbalances in one area of life affect the whole. Now, the duo is embarking on a new project that centres around a large dreamcatcher that Boostrum recently donated to the school. The dreamcatcher is being used to share the Seven Sacred Teachings with students, with each month's teaching represented by a symbol Boostrum adds to the bottom of the dreamcatcher. For September, a redwood cedar turtle was added to symbolize Truth, the teaching Anderson focused on with students.
Though Boostrum started learning traditional art techniques as a child, he says it wasn't until recently that he began focusing seriously on his craft. In addition to wood burning and beading, he works with leather, glass, and weaving, creating a variety of items including jackets, medicine bags, jewelry, and bead looms. Many of his creations have been gifted to students and staff, a gesture that has touched many at the school.
"He frequently gifts our students with dream catchers," said Toutant. "If he senses someone is struggling or not having a great day, he will gift them something."
Boostrum's journey with art has been deeply personal, helping him heal from many of life's challenges. He's passionate not only about creating art, but also about sharing it with others and
passing on what he has learned. He loves the idea that a new generation may be inspired to create their own art or perhaps learn some of the traditional techniques he uses.
"When I was growing up, we didn't get stuff like this in class. I taught myself," he said.
Another important aspect of Boostrum's art is that many of the materials he uses are repurposed. He scours thrift shops for beads and jewelry that he uses for dreamcatchers or to add to his walking sticks. At the trades fair held in Lac La Biche last year, some of the students made hoops when they were trying out gas fitting. They weren't sure what to do with them, so Boostrum used two of them to make dream catchers, one of which is now on display at the school.
Boostrum's creativity knows no bounds. He enjoys the challenge of creating custom pieces based on ideas from others. Recently, he created a walking stick featuring the Lord's Prayer in Arabic, a cedar tree like the one on the Lebanese flag, and a mink, representing the mink farms where many Lebanese families worked when they first arrived in Canada.
"If you can dream it up, I can make it," he said. "I love to do it, it's a dying art."
