A major award for a local sculptor

These are exciting times for a Nipissing First Nation woman.

Aylan Couchie is the International Sculpture Center’s Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award winner for 2015.

The 40 year old, single mother went back to school four years ago and just graduated with her fine arts advanced degree from Georgian College.

She’s heading to Halifax in the fall to finish her undergraduate at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.

Couchie says winning this award opens a lot of doors for her career.

Her work will be featured in the October issue of Sculpture Magazine, there’s an opportunity to do a residency in Switzerland and her work will be a part of a six month exhibition in New Jersey.

Couchie says a lot of her inspiration comes from her relationship with her grandfather and her background.

Overall, she says it took about an hour to calm down after finding out she won the award — which she and her parents celebrated with champagne.