Miriam Berndt (she/her) is an artist, landscape designer and urban studies researcher living in cəsnaʔəm (so-called Marpole, Vancouver BC). Miriam is the daughter of Theresa Tobicoe, the granddaughter of Tessie Lavallee, and the great-granddaughter of Kamatooweekaunah Lena Bob from Kahkewistahaw First Nation; she is also the daughter of Jim, a second-generation Canadian with Irish ancestry; and the step- daughter of Chris, a Mohawk man from the Six Nations of the Grand River.
Her artwork explores themes of generational healing, diasporic indigeneity, and place-based experiences through mediums such as mixed-media counter-cartography, multi-media film, and collage. Her practice in art and design employs a multi-disciplinary, research-centred approach, to tell stories of place through abstract expressions and integrated design solutions. Her practice in art and design informs her work as an urban studies researcher; where her interests revolve around the convergence of Indigenous self-determination, art-based research methodologies, and decolonial property performance. Through her master's research, she seeks to contribute to the futurity of urban Indigenous self-determination and support the ratification of UNDRIP in the municipal context.
As Cultural Space Planner, Miriam brings insights into urban planning and placemaking through research, community engagement, and report making.