SPEAK Season 3 Episode 4: Awesome Big Sisters
Anna Coulombe: My name Anna Coulombe. I am Down, Down Syndrome. I am woman, lego, big sisters.
Rachel Gray: And who are we with right now?
Anna Coulombe: My big sister. Awesome my big sister.
Raïssa Coulombe: I am Raïssa, I’m Anna’s sister.
Anna Coulombe: Little big sisters.
Raïssa Coulombe: Yeah. Sometimes we switch, sometimes you’re the little one and sometimes you’re the big one.
[laughter]
Rachel Gray: And Debbie, how long have you known Anna for?
Debbie Ratcliffe: I’ve known her for over 10 years. I’ve known Anna. And her paintings are fantastic.
Anna Coulombe: Yes!
Debbie Ratcliffe: I love her paintings. She is bubbly, she is talented, she loves coffee.
Anna Coulombe: Yeah.
Debbie Ratcliffe: Ummm..she always gives me hugs. She wears colourful clothes every time she comes and she’s my friend.
Anna Coulombe: Yeah.
Raïssa Coulombe: How would I describe Anna? First and foremost, an artist. I think a very creative person, in every, every area of her life. She lives a creative life, dressing and decorating, and searching out beauty and very very strong also. Very resilient. Strong woman.
Anna Coulombe: Yeah. Yes, me.
Raïssa Coulombe: And funny.
Anna Coulombe: Hehe, yeah.
[laughter]
Raïssa Coulombe: And also a stand-up comedian.
Rachel Gray: You’re very funny!
Anna Coulombe: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Debbie Ratcliffe: She calls me Big 8 Ball all the time.
[laughter]
Rachel Gray: And can you tell us a bit about why you first came to H’Art of Ottawa, which is now called BEING? How you felt when you first came?
Anna Coulombe: Safe. Yeah.
Rachel Gray: So how many years ago was that? Does anybody know?
Raïssa Coulombe: 20.
Rachel Gray: 20?
Anna Coulombe: 20.
Rachel Gray: Oh my goodness!
Debbie Ratcliffe: Holy crow!
Rachel Gray: That’s so incredible! So, I have a big question for you; my big question for you is, what does it mean to be an artist to you?
Anna Coulombe: I think my home, and art my life. I make art.
Raïssa Coulombe: I like your expression that you have, about feeling colours.
Anna Coulombe: Yeah.
Raïssa Coulombe: Really, um, drawn to that. And then sharing that, what you’re feeling in an artwork.
Anna Coulombe: Yeah.
Debbie Ratcliffe: We have a lot of fun here too.
Anna Coulombe: Me too!
Raïssa Coulombe: That’s great, art should be fun.
Debbie Ratcliffe: Yeah.
Raïssa Coulombe: Art should be enjoyable, you know?
Debbie Ratcliffe: Yeah.
Raïssa Coulombe: It brings joy? Maybe that’s a better way of putting it?
Anna Coulombe: Yeah.
Debbie Ratcliffe: It brings joy, happiness.
Rachel Gray: Yeah, I guess for me, it doesn’t always bring joy. But it brings relief, like brings a sense of something that is inside you, you release it out into the world. And that you can take something that is really important. That maybe you can’t say, but you can show it to people in art.
Anna Coulombe: Yeah.
Rachel Gray: That’s a –
Anna Coulombe: Yeah, but I don’t know that I say myself. My life. The Down syndrome. Not easy to say, myself.
Raïssa Coulombe: It’s hard to explain that, eh?
Anna Coulombe: Yeah.
Debbie Ratcliffe: I understand it.
Raïssa Coulombe: People know you better now, through your artwork? And through seeing all those colours, that were inside you, now people, know you a little bit better.
Anna Coulombe: Yeah.
Debbie Ratcliffe: For me, I have a disability also.
Anna Coulombe: You know, but not the same as me.
Debbie Ratcliffe: No, but it’s ummm, but growing up the way that I grew up, it was difficult. Until I came here, and then everything went 360. And I met fantastic, intelligent, beautiful artists and I love every time I come here. I love being here. More and more each time.
Rachel Gray: I like the sensation of being seen. Like when you move through the world, people see you sort of like make assumptions about you or they see one side of you. And then, when you make art, you get to show something that’s a lot more intense. It’s a lot deeper-
Debbie Ratcliffe: Your true colours.
Rachel Gray: Yeah!
Debbie Ratcliffe: -comes shining through.
Anna Coulombe: Yeah.
Rachel Gray: I think we should go through each piece that you brought.
Anna Coulombe: Sure.
Anna Coulombe: Flowers. Grass. Hot pink. It’s cool…grass, leaf, leaf- green. I love flowers. Flowers is joy.
Debbie Ratcliffe: Ok, there’s flowers. They’re standing in a meadow. Followed by hot pink in the background.
Rachel Gray: And what does it make you think of or feel about it?
Debbie Ratcliffe: In a meadow. Running through a meadow.
Raïssa Coulombe: I love a lot of things about this piece, we really look forward to spring and summer. To me it just has that energy of like, everything just coming to life and all that energy and beauty that we’ve been waiting for all winter-
Anna Coulombe: Yeah, same!
Raïssa Coulombe: You know, coming out.
Rachel Gray: What piece would you like to share next?
Anna Coulombe: Spirals. My big spirals. Big spirals. The colors are cool. And little spirals, mine.
Rachel Gray: And in the centre of it, you’ve written out-
Anna Coulombe: Spring. Spring.
Rachel Gray: And Debbie, what do you see in this piece?
Debbie Ratcliffe: Beautiful artwork. I love spirals too and they are very intricate. Very tight, small stitches.
Raïssa Coulombe: We actually put it up on March 21st every year.
Anna Coulombe: Yeah. Yeah.
Raïssa Coulombe: To show we survived another winter, umm, but it’s beautiful. It’s Anna’s favourite, favourite colour in the background, of lavender.
Anna Coulombe: Yeah.
Raïssa Coulombe: It has spirals and is very joyful.
Anna Coulombe: Thank you. It’s spring and Down syndrome day, myself.
Raïssa Coulombe: It’s also March 21st, is Down Syndrome day. So, lots to celebrate!
Anna Coulombe: Yeah. Yeah! My life.
Rachel Gray: That’s amazing! I didn’t know the first day of spring is also Down Syndrome day.
Anna Coulombe: Yeah. Like me. Yeah.
Rachel Gray: One thing that this interview is making me think about, is spring.
Anna Coulombe: Yeah.
Rachel Gray: Which I also look forward to every year.
Anna Coulombe: Thank you.
Rachel Gray: But it seems like your artwork you have these reminders that spring is coming. You find ways of bringing spring life or spring colours, like into artworks that are around all year, even in winter. Right, I guess the thing it makes me think of too, is the way that is helpful in making it through hard times. Like winter is a hard time for a lot of people. But the way that reminders of joy or reminders of change can be a powerful way to make it through those times.
Raïssa Coulombe: Anna taught me a lot during the pandemic, because we were together every day. And Anna made art every single day. And really used the surroundings, the small space that we were allowed to be in, in the world. And just filled it with art. And colour. And, it was a very intentional way of deciding that we were going to be, you know, ok and get through this. And keep making art. Stay positive. It was quite a powerful thing to watch and be a part of. And I think something that we could use, all use, in different parts of life.
Rachel Gray: Should we look at another piece?
Anna Coulombe: Yeah. Word art. My big sister.
Rachel Gray: Do you want to read what this gift says?
Raïssa Coulombe: This gift, one of my favourites, “my big sister loving caregiver, runs marathons, determined, serious”. So she nailed it.
Anna Coulombe: Yeah.
Raïssa Coulombe: All gifts are special, but there was some thought behind the description. That was very special. Extra special.
Anna Coulombe: Yeah. Yeah.
Rachel Gray: I think we should talk a little bit about the relationship between the two of you.
Anna Coulombe: Oh boy.
Rachel Gray: Oh boy.
[laughter]
Rachel Gray: Umm, so how would you describe your dynamic as sisters? Your relationship as sisters.
Anna Coulombe: Wait, now I think myself. Ok yes, awesome big sister. Awesome. …And coffee!
Raïssa Coulombe: Yes, we share a mug of coffee.
Anna Coulombe: Coffee. My favourite. Share a love of coffee.
Raïssa Coulombe: Yes, that’s my dog that you love.
Anna Coulombe: Big.
Raïssa Coulombe: I think it’s great. It’s very mutually caring and I would say, we are sisters and friends. We get along really well. Considering we spend most of every day together, umm.
Anna Coulombe: Afternoon walk. Yeah.
Raïssa Coulombe: We do a lot. And we’ve definitely gone through some challenges, and we will go through more evidently. But I feel confident that, it will be good and I’m very very proud of Anna for all her growth over the years and I think we help each other.
Rachel Gray: So I think we have, what we could say, a showstopper piece here. We have a really big deal artwork that you brought in with you. So, I wonder, I’m going to stand up and do the big reveal-
Anna Coulombe: Please, yes.
Rachel Gray: I can’t do this seated. Let’s do this. I am holding an enormous big-
Anna Coulombe: Big, my artwork.
Debbie Ratcliffe: Wow.
Anna Coulombe: Yeah! About time.
Rachel Gray: Wow.
[laughter & clapping]
Debbie Ratcliffe: That is cool.
Anna Coulombe: Yay!
Debbie Ratcliffe: Nice job!
Anna Coulombe: Big spirals.
Debbie Ratcliffe: Fabulous job.
Anna Coulombe: Big spirals.
Rachel Gray: Umm, ok, so we have to describe it to people who are listening because they can’t see what we are looking at right now. So, what are we seeing? An enormous very big quilt with hand-stitched spirals and many different colours.
Anna Coulombe: Yeah.
Rachel Gray: So, can you tell us the story of how this came to exist?
Anna Coulombe: I think myself that a big artwork, my favourite is spirals. My favourite.
Raïssa Coulombe: She wanted to make something really big.
Anna Coulombe: Yeah. And last Chrismas.
Raïssa Coulombe: So, this was created over many, many months. COVID-era months.
Rachel Gray: Ok so, you made this during COVID?
Anna Coulombe: Yeah.
Raïssa Coulombe: Yes.
Anna Coulombe: Not easy.
Raïssa Coulombe: No, so, this was done a little bit of work each day, with some fabrics that you chose and ordered online. And then followed the stitching, done by hand, each day.
Debbie Ratcliffe: Wow, I did blew my mind! You done a multi-media stitching extravaganza.
Anna Coulombe: Yup. Yeah.
Raïssa Coulombe: It’s a very powerful reminder of that time, I think we were, I mean like the rest of the world, worried and locked down and unsure. And out of that time, came this amazing gift, the fact that it covers you and keeps you warm, is not lost on me. It’s just a reminder that, I sort of feel like we could, like, get through anything. Just, an amazing example of it, Anna’s artwork and what she, what she’s able to do.
Rachel Gray: And what do spirals mean to you?
Anna Coulombe: My life.
Raïssa Coulombe: It’s a motif that you go back to a lot. You like to include spirals.
Anna Coulombe: Yeah. Art. Oh, yeah.
Rachel Gray: To understand your like symbol for your life?
Anna Coulombe: Yes.
Rachel Gray: So, you covered the, this quilt, with your symbol for yourself? For your life?
Anna Coulombe: Yeah. Yeah.
Rachel Gray: Yeah, to me, it’s very powerful.
Debbie Ratcliffe: It’s amazing.
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Produced and Hosted by: Debbie Ratcliffe, Rachel Gray and fin-xuan
Guests: Anna Coulombe & Raïssa Coulombe
Musician credit: Mikayla Gordon
Sponsored by: City of Ottawa
