Lorna Dancey is a Métis photographer, writer and storyteller. Her work is poignant and the compelling projects she creates are visionary and compassion based. Lorna invests herself deeply and sees beauty in others when they do not have the ability to recognize it within themselves. She is an artist who is determined to bring our communities together for a kinder and gentler place to be.
Lorna’s work spans, supports and celebrates many diversities: cancer survivors, mothers, homelessness, mental health, domestic violence, burn survivors, LGBTQ, and post-traumatic stress disorder, only to name a few. Her photos are powerful—intimately reflecting and expressing each person’s story. The plight of others and determination to help each, and every person through her lens and storytelling lays the foundation for her work. Her work doesn’t stop here—she engages with local social service agencies and helping organizations with the intent of building a powerful community to inspire ripples of change.
With each initiative she creates, she works tirelessly advocating for the rights of others by sitting down with people and listening. She then begins her process on behalf of each person and writes out their story and takes a photo to represent their story giving their silenced voice a platform to be heard. These lived experiences that we all can resonate with in one way or another, not only raises awareness, but they build a bridge and invites a sense of unity among our communities to inspire hope and healing.
Lorna has created many exhibits, including the powerful “State of Mind” project intended to raise awareness for mental health. The exhibit ignites conversations, challenges stigma, and inspires compassion and change.
She created a freestanding inter-changeable photography and storytelling exhibit as part of her “State of Mind” initiative. The exhibit consists of five, 7’(height) x 2’ (width) cubed towers. Each tower is dedicated to eight powerful photos and stories. These are very personal stories about living with: depression, anxiety, addiction, postpartum depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide, domestic violence, homelessness, self-harm, grief, schizophrenia, and so on.
Lorna also spearheaded a project called “Skin Deep’ to help women with breast cancer see their own beauty. She not only invited 9 women to participate in a Calgary and Edmonton photoshoot, but created a full-day experience — empowering them to feel beautiful amongst the hardships of having to endure breast cancer. She created a community of powerful women survivors who developed a camaraderie with one another and set the stage for lifetime friendships.
The work she does isn’t just about storytelling and photos. It’s about giving hope, helping others see beyond the limitations they may believe about themselves and creating a domino effect for positive change. These positive effects ripple out to families, friends, and ultimately the whole community by creating harmony and mutual compassion.
