Reanna Merasty, MRAIC

Reanna Merasty is an architectural intern at Number Ten Architectural Group based on Treaty 1 Territory. She is a Nîhithaw (Woodlands Cree) artist, writer, and educator from Barren Lands First Nation. Reanna received a Master of Architecture and a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Manitoba (UofM).

Reanna advocates for Indigenous inclusion and representation in design education and is committed to empowering Indigenous communities and youth. While at the UofM, she Co-founded the Indigenous Design and Planning Student Association and Co-Edited the publication “Voices of the Land: Indigenous Design and Planning from the Prairies.” Additionally, Reanna is working with Portage & Main Press on a three-part children’s book series on Indigenous Architecture.

Her work continues to amplify Indigenous voices, community engagement, and land-based pedagogies in architecture locally and nationally. She is a member of the Indigenous Task Force with the RAIC, Chair of the Welcoming Winnipeg Committee with the City of Winnipeg, and a member of the local design advocacy organization Storefront Manitoba. Through this advocacy work, Reanna was recognized by CBC Manitoba with a Future 40 Award, by Women in Urbanism Canada as one of the 14 Mobilizing Women Impacting Urbanism in Canada, and named the 2023 Youth-First Nations Laureate with the Indspire Awards, which is considered the highest honor Indigenous people bestow upon its own people.

Reanna grounds herself in heart work, ceremony, community, and wellness, and she continuously works towards the resiliency and resurgence of Indigenous peoples in all that she does.