Past Workshops
Our first Skins Workshop was held in 2008, hosted by Owisokon Lahache at the Kahnawake Survival School. Since then we have mounted more than three dozen workshops across Canada and in Hawai‘i, covering subjects ranging from video games, machinima, 3d modeling and animation, 7th generation character design, programming, and building virtual environments. We have worked with participants from Mohawk, Mi’maq, Anishnaabe, Metis, Cree, and Kanaka Maoli communities, and held workshops on reserve, at urban Indigenous arts & cultural institutions, and in various universities. Take a look at that history below.
Workshops Legend:
Video Game
Machinima
7th Gen. Character Design
Avatar Creation Workshop
Game Design with Bitsy
Imagining Indigenous Worlds with Unity
Other
Dawson College – Pixel Art and Game Design with Bitsy
Date: February 19th, 21st, 26th and 28th 2024
Duration: 4 sessions of 2 hours each
Instructors: Nancy Townsend, Vanessa Racine, Caeleigh Lightning, Taylor McArthu
KSS – Interactive Storytelling with Twine
Date: January 28th, February 2nd and February 15th
Duration: 3 sessions of 2hrs each
Instructors: Vanessa Racine, Nancy Townsend, Caeleigh Lightning, Taylor McArthur
KSS – 7th Gen Character Design
Date: October 5th and October 10th
Duration: 2 sessions of 2hrs each
Instructors: Skawennati Fragnito, Nancy Townsend, Vanessa Racine / Caeleigh Lightning (Training: Bronson Jacque & Taylor McArthur)
STEAMPunks – Imagining Worlds with Bitsy
Date: August 1st and 4th, 2023
Duration: 2 sessions of 2hrs each
Instructors: Caeleigh Lightning, Bronson Jacque, Nancy Townsend, Vanessa Racine
Sámi Game Jam – Imagining Indigenous Worlds with Unity
Date: June 5th-9th 2023
Duration: 5 sessions of 5hrs each
Instructors: Caeleigh Lightning, Bronson Jacque, Nancy Townsend, Vanessa Racine
Y-STEAM x Makerspace – Interactive Storytelling with Twine and Photoshop
Date: May 10th-14th 2023
Duration: 4 sessions of 5 hours each
Instructors: Nancy Townsend, Vanessa Racine, Caeleigh Lightning
Pixel Art and Game Design with Bitsy – Lac La Croix Highschool
Date: April 24-27th 2023
Duration: 4 sessions of 1hr each
Instructors: Nancy Townsend, Vanessa Racine
7th Gen Character Design+ – John Abbott College
Date: March 16th, 27th and April 13th
Duration: 3 sessions of 2hrs each
Instructors: Nancy Townsend, Vanessa Racine, Caeleigh Lightning
Welcome to AbTeC Island – PXR / DDP + IBPOC Fellowship
Date: March 14th 2023
Duration: 1 session of 2 hours
Instructors: Nancy Townsend, Caeleigh Lightning, Shirley Ceravolo, Camelia Layachi
Welcome to AbTeC Island – University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Date: March 9th 2023
Duration: 1 session of 1 hours
Instructors: Nancy Townsend, Caeleigh Lightning
Interactive Storytelling with Twine – Dawson College
Date: February 15th, 20th, 22nd and 27th, 2023
Duration: 4 sessions of 1h45mins
Instructors: Nancy Townsend, Caeleigh Lightning, Vanessa Racine, Camelia Layachi
Intro to AbTeC Island and The Future Imaginary – PXR’s IBPOC Fellowship
Date: February 8th, 2023
Duration: 1 session of 1 hour
Instructors: Vanessa Racine, Caeleigh Lightning, Skawennati
Interactive Storytelling with Twine and Game Design with Bitsy – Finnish/US Embassy
Date: January 3rd to 5th 2023
Duration: 3 sessions of 3 hours
Instructors: Vanessa Racine, Caeleigh Lightning, Nancy Townsend
AbTeC + The Future Imaginary – Dawson College
Date: November 27th, 2022
Duration: 1 session of 2 hours
Instructors: Vanessa Racine, Caeleigh Lightning
Welcome to AbTeC Island with PXR
Date: November 15th 2022
Duration: 1 session of 1 hour
Instructors: Skawennati Fragnito, Nancy Townsend, Shirley Ceravolo
7th Gen Character Design – Māoriland Film Festival
Date: October 28th, 2022
Duration: 1 session of 2 hours and 45 minutes
Instructors: Skawennati Fragnito, Nancy Townsend, Vanessa Racine
7th Gen Character Design – LoHxBAM
Date: October 17th, 2022
Duration: 1 session of 2.5 hours
Instructors: Skawennati Fragnito, Nancy Townsend, Swarm (documentation)
Extended 7th Gen Character Design – Black Community Resource Centre
Date: August 29th-30th, 2022
Duration: 3 sessions of 2 hours each
Instructors: Kahentawaks Tiewishaw, Anastasia Erickson, Caeleigh Lightning
Game Design with Bitsy – STEAMpunks Summer Camp
Date: August 11th, 2022
Duration: 3 hours
Instructors: Kahentawaks Tiewishaw, Anastasia Erickson, Caeleigh Lightning
Interactive Storytelling with Twine – STEAMpunks Summer Camp
Date: August 5th, 2022
Duration: 3 hours
Instructors: Kahentawaks Tiewishaw, Anastasia Erickson, Caeleigh Lightning
7th Gen Character Design – STEAMpunks Summer Camp
Date: August 2nd, 2022
Duration: 3 hours
Instructors: Kahentawaks Tiewishaw, Anastasia Erickson, Caeleigh Lightning
Interactive Storytelling with Twine – McGill University
Date: July 6th, 7th, and 8th, 2022
Duration: 3 sessions of 2 hours
Instructors: Anastasia Erickson, Caeleigh Lightning
Imagining Indigenous Worlds with Unity – Northern Arts and Cultural Centre
Date: April 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 2022
Duration: 5 sessions of 5 hours
Instructors: Kahentawaks Tiewishaw, Anastasia Erickson, Caeleigh Lightning
7th Gen Character Design – Northern Arts and Cultural Centre
Date: April 20th, 2022
Duration: 3 hours
Instructors: Kahentawaks Tiewishaw, Anastasia Erickson, Caeleigh Lightning
7th Gen Tech Design with Blender – Northern Arts and Cultural Centre
Date: April 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 2022
Duration: 4 sessions of 4 hours
Instructors: Kahentawaks Tiewishaw, Anastasia Erickson, Caeleigh Lightning
AbTeC Island Tour – Journeys & Crossroads
Date: April 14th, 2021
Duration: 2 hours
Instructors: Kahentawaks Tiewishaw
Avatar Creation Workshop – Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies UBC
Date: March 30th, 2021
Duration: 3 hours
Instructors: Kahentawaks Tiewishaw, Shirley Ceravolo
Game Design with Bitsy – Wemindji Youth Centre
Date: March 25th, 2021
Duration: 2.5 hours
Instructors: Kahentawaks Tiewishaw, Nafisa Sarwath
7th Gen Character Design – Journeys & Crossroads
Date: March 22nd, 2021
Duration: 2 hours
Instructors: Kahentawaks Tiewishaw
7th Gen Character Design – Wemindji Youth Centre
Date: March 18th, 2021
Duration: 2.5 hours
Instructors: Kahentawaks Tiewishaw, Nafisa Sarwath
iYC Machinimagraph Workshop – imagineNATIVE & ENAGB
Date: March 12th, 19th, 26th, April 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th, May 07th, 2021
Duration: 8 sessions of 3 hours
Instructors: Kahentawaks Tiewishaw, Melissa Johns
Intro to AbTeC – Journeys & Crossroads
Date: February 17th, 2021
Duration: 2 hours
Instructors: Kahentawaks Tiewishaw
7th Gen Tech Design with Blender – WAMP
Date: February 13th, 14th, 20th, 21st, 2021
Duration: 2 weekend sessions of 4 hours
Instructors: Maize Longboat, and Kahentawaks Tiewishaw
Intro to AbTeC – Wemindji Youth Centre
Location: Online
Date: February 10th, 2021
Duration: 3 hours
Instructors: Kahentawaks Tiewishaw, Nafisa Sarwath
Avatar Creation Workshop – Immersivité et innovations technologiques
Location: AbTeC Island
Date: October 27th, 2020
Duration: 2 hours
Instructors: Maize Longboat, Skawennati, Shirley Ceravolo
7th Gen Character Design – Wemindji Youth Centre
Location: Online
Date: October 22nd, 2020
Duration: 2 hours
Instructors: Maize Longboat, Nafisa Sarwath
Game Design with Bitsy – imagineNATIVE
Location: Online
Date: September 24th, 2020
Duration: 3 hours
Instructors: Maize Longboat, Kahentawaks Tiewishaw
Interactive Storytelling with Twine – imagineNATIVE
Location: Online
Date: September 17th, 2020
Duration: 3 hours
Instructors: Maize Longboat, Kahentawaks Tiewishaw
Intro to Avatar Design – imagineNATIVE
Location: Online
Date: September 10th, 2020
Duration: 3 hours
Instructors: Maize Longboat, Kahentawaks Tiewishaw
7th Gen Character Design – imagineNATIVE
Location: Online
Date: September 3rd, 2020
Duration: 3 hours
Instructors: Maize Longboat, Kahentawaks Tiewishaw
Imagining Indigenous Worlds with Unity: July 2020 – WAMP
Location: Online
Date: July 6th – 10th, 2020
Duration: 5 days
Instructors: Maize Longboat, Waylon Wilson
Imagining Indigenous Worlds with Unity – WAMP
Location: Online
Date: June 8th – 12th, 2020
Duration: 5 days
Instructors: Maize Longboat, Waylon Wilson
7th Gen Character Design – MacKenzie Art Gallery
Location: Online
Date: May 27th, 2020
Duration: 2 hours
Instructors: Maize Longboat, Eve Whiteman-Desjarlais
Skins Hacking Workshop – Concordia University
Location: Concordia University, Montreal, QC
Date: November 28th – 29th, 2019
Duration: 2 days
Instructors: Jane Tingley, Skawennati
7th Gen Character Design – Centre d’exposition de Val-d’Or
Location: École Amik-Wiche, Lac Simon & Centre d’amitié autochtone, Val-d’Or, QC
Date: September 30th, 2019
Duration: 2 sessions, 2 hours
Instructors: Maize Longboat, Kahentawaks Tiewishaw
Train-the-Trainer: 7th Gen Character Design & Machinima – MacKenzie Art Gallery
Location: MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina, SK
Date: August 12th – 16th, 2019
Duration: 5 days
Instructors: Skawennati, Maize Longboat, Kahentawaks Tiewishaw, Nancy Townsend
Seventh Generation Character Design & Intro to Machinima – POP Montreal
Location: Concordia University, Montreal, QC
Date: July 15th – 19th, 2019
Duration: 5 days
Instructors: Skawennati, Maize Longboat, Kahentawaks Tiewishaw
Imagining Indigenous Solarities: 7th Generation Character Design – After Oil
Location: Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal, QC
Date: May 24th – 25th, 2019
Duration: 2 half-days
Instructors: Maize Longboat, Waylon Wilson
Seventh Generation Character Design – Native Montreal
Location: Native Montreal, Montreal, QC
Date: April 9th, 2019
Duration: 2 hours
Instructors: Skawennati
Seventh Generation Character Design – McGill University
Location: First Peoples House, McGill University, Montreal, QC
Date: March 26th, 2019
Duration: 2 hours
Instructors: Skawennati
Skins 6.0 – He Au Hou 2
Location: Hālau ‘Īnana, Honolulu, HI
Date: July 2018
Duration: 3 weeks
Make a World with Unity – WAMP
Location: MacKenzie Art Gallery / Regina Public Library, Regina, SK
Date: May 14th – 16th, 2018
Duration: 3 sessions of 3 hours
Instructors: Pippin Barr, Rilla Khaled
Skins Machinima – MacKenzie Art Gallery
Location: MacKenzie Art Gallery / Regina Public Library, Regina, SK
Date: April 1st – 6th, 2018
Duration: 5 days
Instructors: Skawennati, Nancy Elizabeth Townsend, Maize Longboat
Seventh Generation Character Design – Kahnawake Survival School
Location: Kahnawake Survival School, Kahnawake, QC
Date: March – May 2018
Duration: 5 sessions of 2 hours
Instructors: Skawennati, Jason Edward Lewis, Nancy Elizabeth Townsend, Dominick Meissner (Behaviour Interactive), Vivian Herzog (Behaviour Interactive), Kahentawaks Tiewishaw, Raymond Caplin, Maize Longboat
Indigenous Storytelling & Digital Media – Good Heart Good Mind Conference
Location: Loon Lake Lodge, Maple Ridge, BC
Date: February 21st, 2018
Duration: 2 sessions of 2 hours
Instructors: Skawennati, Maize Longboat, Mia McKie, Waylon Wilson
Machinima Demo – OCAD U
Location: Concordia University, Montreal, QC
Date: February 21st, 2018
Duration: 2 hours
Instructors: Nancy Elizabeth Townsend
Intro to Machinima Demo – Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery
Location: Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery, Montreal, QC
Date: November 17th, 2017
Duration: 2 hours
Instructors: Skawennati, Darian Jacobs
Seventh Generation Character Design – Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery
Location: Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery, Montreal, QC
Date: November 14th, 2017
Duration: 2 hours
Instructors: Skawennati, Jason Edward Lewis, Suzanne Kite, Maize Longboat
Introduction to Second Life/AbTeC Island – Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery
Location: Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery, Montreal, QC
Date: November 7th, 2017
Duration: 2 hours
Instructors: Skawennati, Maize Longboat
Welcome to AbTeC Island – Concordia Student Union (CSU)
Location: Concordia University, Montreal, QC
Date: September 14th, 2017
Duration: 2 hours
Instructors: Maize Longboat, Darian Jacobs, Skawennati
Skins 5.0 – He Au Hou
Location: Hālau ‘Īnana, Honolulu, HI
Date: July 2017 – August 2017
Duration: 3 weeks
Skins Machinima Workshop – Native Youth Program (NYP)
Location: Emily Carr University, Vancouver, BC
Date: August 8th – 12th, 2016
Duration: 4.5 days
Instructors: Skawennati, Darian Jacobs, Erica Perreault
Indigenous Character Design & Machinimagraphs – WAMP
Location: WAMP Office, Yellowknife, NT
Date: May 6th, 2016
Duration: 3 hours
Instructors: Skawennati, Jason Edward Lewis
Future Character Design – Dechinta Bush University
Location: Dechinta Bush University, Blachford Lake, Akaitcho, NT
Date: May 4th, 2016
Duration: 2 hours
Instructors: Skawennati, Jason Edward Lewis
Creative Computation: Introduction to Programming – Kahnawake Survival School
Location: Kahnawake Survival School, Kahnawake, QC
Date: February 8th, 2016
Duration: 2 hours
Instructors: Skawennati, Jason Edward Lewis
Second Life and Machinima – Eastern Bloc
Location: Eastern Bloc, Montreal, QC
Date: January 23rd, 30th, & February 6th, 2016
Duration: 3 days
Instructors: Skawennati, Darian Jacobs, Erica Perreault
Aboriginal Territories in 2nd Life – CINSA
Location: Obx Labs, Montreal, QC
Date: June 12th, 2015
Duration: 3 hours
Instructors: Skawennati, Darian Jacobs
Skins 4.0 – Concordia University
Location: Concordia University, Montreal, QC
Date: May 27th – June 14th, 2013
Duration: 3 weeks
Skins 3.0 – Extended Play
Location: Concordia University, Montreal, QC
Date: March 2012 – July 2012
Duration: 2 separated weeks, intensive
Skins 2.0 – Concordia University
Location: Concordia University, Montreal, QC
Date: July 16th – 29th, 2011
Duration: 2 weeks intensive
AbTeC Machinima Workshop – imagiNATIVE 2010
Location: Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT), Toronto, ON
Date: October 21st – 22nd, 2010
Duration: 2 Days
Instructors: Skawennati, Jason Edward Lewis, Nancy Elizabeth Townsend
Skins 1.0 – Kahnawake Survival School
Location: Kahnawake Survival School, Kahnawake, QC
Date: September 2008 – June 2009
Duration: Weekly highschool course with 2 weekend intensive sessions