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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Yellowknife-born visual artist Nigit’stil Norbert is showing work in her first juried gallery exhibition this week.

Her nature portrait, Reflect, was chosen for display at the Lennox Contemporary Gallery in downtown Toronto. It portrays a richly textured image of a barren tree reflected in still water.

"I have had many ups and downs in life but no matter what I always kept to my dream. For every youth growing up in the North who sometimes feels trapped or isolated from the rest of the world, I think it's important to follow your dream, whatever that may be, and hold on. If you want it bad enough you can achieve anything. With lots of love and support from family or friends, or whoever may be a positive influence in your life, you can do anything." -Nigit’stil Norbert

It is part of Maximum Exposure, an annual year-end show featuring film and photographic art by students in Ryerson University's Image Arts program, where Norbert is completing the second year of her bachelor's degree in Fine Arts Photography.

"This first gallery show signifies for me, not the beginning of my journey, but the middle," she said. "The best part of the journey is the middle, where you make mistakes, grow in knowledge, work really hard and come to know yourself. I feel confident in my work and the growth that's happened. I'm really proud and I'm ready to take the next step. It feels awesome."

The beginning of the journey

Norbert bought her first camera, a heavy 1985 Pentax K1000, in 2002. She has since taken it around the world with her. Twice.

In 2005 she participated in an exchange program with Canada World Youth that brought her to Beijing, China, for six months.

"My eyes were opened to new experiences and sights and sounds and smells. Through my photographs I captured some of what I was feeling," she said. "That's when I realized I wanted to pursue photography as a career."

In 2006 she sailed around the world as part of the eighteenth Ship for World Youth, an initiative of the Japanese government that brings students from a variety of countries together for cultural exchange and cooperation while sailing the ocean. Norbert visited Japan, India, Kenya, Mauritius and Singapore during the two month voyage.

"You're a witness when you see impoverished places and places where women's equality might not be the same," she said. "It really affects you."

Not wanting to exploit cultures she did not yet fully understand, Norbert said she chose to train her lens on the natural environment during the trip. She assembled a series titled Six Meters of Colour, a reference to the length of cloth used to make a sari in India.

"For me, what speaks the most through my photographs is the beauty of the person or the surroundings. - the beauty of the moment," she said. "I try to find a moment that captures little bits of hope."

Norbert is planning her latest international adventure for May with an exchange program organized through Horizons of Friendship, an organization that unites delegates from Central America and Southern Mexico with Canadians to work cooperatively on community-based development projects.

Some day Norbert dreams of working for an international publication such as National Geographic that will continue to introduce her to new experiences to depict in her photographs.

Norbert cites her parents as a strong influence on her artistic development. Her mom Natalie Makletzof is a painter now based in Ontario. Her dad, Lawrence Norbert, is a photographer and communications adviser with the Gwich’in Tribal Council in Inuvik. Family friend Arlene Hache said they encouraged their daughter to express herself from a young age.

"I remember her father taking her to community meetings and community dances all over the North," Hache recalled. "Nigit’sil was included as the adult discussion about challenges and life and solutions. Even as a child she played a leadership role among her peers. Her parents facilitated that and encouraged that. That's how you get someone her age that really blossoms and connects with the different facets of living. She's a really confident young women who really doesn't seem to have many barriers to self expression. Her parents let her know early on that the world was hers."

Lawrence surprised his daughter this week by arriving in Toronto in time for her first gallery opening. The Maximum Exposure exhibit continues until Sunday.