Jenelle Duval

Jenelle Duval is an L’nu woman and currently works as an Arts and Culture Coordinator at the First Light St. John’s Friendship Centre, where she has been creating artistic spaces and opportunities for community and arts professionals since 2012. She is the Artistic Director of Spirit Song Festival, an annual celebration of Indigenous Arts and Culture in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Jenelle is a member of the programming committee for Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Fest, Newfoundland Quarterly’s Editorial Advisory Committee, the City of St. John’s Arts and Culture Advisory Committee, and the Board of Directors at Eastern Edge Gallery. She is the recipient of a YWCA Women of Distinction Award (2019) for her work in Arts and Heritage, as a founding member of EMCA-winning group Eastern Owl and a tireless advocate for the preservation and revitalization of cultural arts and music.

In 2019, Jenelle was nominated for Indigenous Songwriter of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards and in 2020 was awarded the annual Achievement Award from the Atlantic Presenters Association for her contribution to Indigenous arts presentation in Newfoundland and Labrador. Jenelle is rooted in her home territory of Ktaqmkuk, where she shares her life with her amazing daughter Kassidy.