Cheryl L’Hirondelle (aka Waynohtêw, Cheryl Koprek) is a nomadic mixed-blood multi and interdisciplinary artist, singer/songwriter and curator. Her creative practice is an investigation of the junction of a Cree worldview (nêhiyawin) in contemporary time and space.

In 2004, L’Hirondelle was one of the first Aboriginal artists from this land now known as Canada to be invited to present her new media work at DAK’ART Lab, as part of the 6th Edition of the Dakar Biennale for Contemporary African Art, Dakar, Senegal. In both 2005 & 2006, L’Hirondelle was the recipient of the imagineNATIVE New Media Award for her online net.art projects: treatycard, 17:TELL and wêpinâsowina. Her 2008 interdisciplinary project nikamon ohci askiy (songs because of the land), was recognized as an honoree in the Net.Art category of the 13th Annual Webby Awards.

In 2009 and 2010 Cheryl was the new media advisor for imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival and was invited to guest curate a series of three annual exhibitions to help build the festival’s Media Arts component. To date, the results have been the international group exhibitions: Codetalkers of the Digital Divide (or why we didn’t become ‘roadkill on the information superhighway’) and RE:counting coup. A third exhibition for 2011 is currently being developed. She has also been involved in a variety of media arts initiatives including: Smartlab Associate Researcher (UK), 2005–07; Banff New Media Institute Advisory Committee, 2006; ISEA – Pacific Rim New Media Summit Working Group Member (US/NZ), 2006; Circuit4.ca – Canadian Heritage Information Network, 2004; RIXC – International Locative Media Workshop (Latvia), 2003; Drumbytes.org; 2002; Canada Council Media Arts Advisory Committee, 1997–2001; KIDS FROM KANATA On-line Aboriginal Liaison, 1995-96, and AFVAA - Drum Beats to Drum Bytes Thinktank, 1994.

L’Hirondelle is a member of the OCAD University Indigenous Education Council where she has also taught in their Integrated Media Department. She lectures about Indigenous Media Art and about her interdisciplinary practice at universities and colleges and regularly presents at Media Art and related conferences and symposia nationwide and internationally.

Artist Code: 430