QNHL – Queer Newfoundland Hockey League
Lucas Morneau
Bonavista Buggers by Lucas Morneau
Artist Biography
Lucas Morneau (they/he) is an interdisciplinary artist and curator living in the Siknikt region of
Mi’kma’ki — Sackville, New Brunswick. Born and raised on the island of Ktaqamtuk
(Newfoundland), Morneau completed their Bachelor of Fine Arts at Memorial University of
Newfoundland’s Grenfell Campus in 2016 and completed their Master of Fine Arts at the
University of Saskatchewan in 2018. Morneau was the winner of the BMO First Art Award for
Newfoundland and Labrador in 2016, the Cox & Palmer Pivotal Point Grant in 2018, and was
shortlisted for the Scotiabank New Generations Photography Award both in 2018 and 2021.
Morneau is also the recipient of multiple grants from the Canada Council of the Arts, ArtsNB,
and ArtsNL.
Morneau’s work has exhibited across Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom,
including recent solo exhibitions at the Kamloops Art Gallery in Kamloops, BC, the Cape
Breton University Art Gallery in Sydney, NS, and the Klondike Institute of Arts and Culture in
Dawson City, YK. Bouncing between mediums but most known their textile and
photographic work, Morneau uses humour to deconstruct and critique hegemonic
masculinity, the gender binary, and homophobia in Canadian and Newfoundland culture.
Francois Fruits by Lucas Morneau
Exhibition Statement
Queer Newfoundland Hockey League (QNHL) is a fictional hockey league made up of 14 teams, all
of which use pejoratives used against the LGBT2QIA+ community as team names. QNHL uses these
pejoratives to reclaim the words often used against queer individuals both on and off the ice. These
pejoratives, such as sissy and fag, are also often used against individuals who do not conform to the
hegemonic masculinity often assigned to sports – teammates often cannot be emotional, cannot
draw attention to themselves, nor talk about personal issues without fear of reprisal.
Each jersey is hand crocheted and rug-hooked, using craft practices often delegated as “women’s
work.” Some jerseys are rug-hooked using pantyhose worn by drag performers, referencing the
history of rug-hooking in Newfoundland and the Grenfell Mission’s use of stockings from women
around rural communities in the province.
The jerseys are paired with 10 crochet goalie masks, stylized as doilies. These goalie doilies
reference the introduction of the goalie mask and its first full-time NHL user Jacques Plante, who was
ridiculed and mocked for wearing a mask after sustaining serious injuries during a game. Many
players and fans questioned Plante’s bravery and dedication to the game due to his mask.
QNHL, by reclaiming these pejoratives, aims to deconstruct homophobia in sports and sports culture
and critique the existing hegemonic masculinity in sports culture. By bringing awareness to the toxic
elements of the current hegemonic masculinity, QNHL aims to create a new, positive, and accepting
masculinity for sports enthusiast.
Acknowledgments
Published ©2021 by the Centre for Craft Nova Scotia All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. All photography courtesy of the artist unless otherwise stated.