Ray Gosselin Red Cloud Bursary Legacy Fund

Launching Fall 2025, the $1,500 Ray Gosselin Red Cloud Bursary supports Indigenous Architectural Technologies students with need, merit, and leadership in design and community.

Ray Gosselin’s story is one of resilience, vision, and trailblazing leadership. A proud member of the Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation, Ray is an intergenerational residential school survivor who became the first in his family to graduate from university, earning both a Bachelor of Environmental Studies and a Master of Architecture from Dalhousie University. His journey is not only marked by personal achievement, but also by the courage to step into—and transform—a profession historically shaped by colonial frameworks. In doing so, he has carved a path for Indigenous voices and perspectives to flourish in architecture, a field where representation remains scarce.

Throughout his career, Ray has consistently broken barriers. In 2016, he became the first Indigenous President of the Saskatchewan Association of Architects, using his platform to advocate for equity and inclusion across the profession. Nationally, his leadership extended through the Indigenous Task Force (ITF) of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, where he worked alongside peers to advance Indigenous design principles and embed cultural knowledge into the built environment. In 2018 his leadership brought the voice of Indigenous people and residential school survivors to the world stage at the renowned Architecture and Design Venice Biennale in Italy through the ITF collaborative commission, UNCEDED. These achievements are not ends in themselves, but part of a larger vision: creating space for future generations of Indigenous architects and designers to lead with confidence and authenticity.

Ray’s practice reflects the principle of ‘lifting as we climb.’ Under his guidance, his firm has mentored emerging professionals, partnered with educational institutions such as Saskatchewan Polytechnic, and hosted youth workshops to spark interest in architecture as a career path. These efforts not only build capacity in the profession but also ensure that Indigenous youth see themselves represented in a field where their perspectives are deeply needed. His designs—whether cultural lodges, community hubs, or healing spaces—carry forward this ethos, embedding respect for land, culture, and community into every project.

In 2025, this legacy of mentorship took root in a new way with the creation of the Ray Gosselin Red Cloud Bursary Fund, established in partnership with Saskatchewan Polytechnic. Awarded annually to Indigenous students pursuing Architectural Technologies or Interior Design, the bursary is both a gift of support and a call to action: that Indigenous excellence be celebrated,
financial barriers reduced, and seeds of generational change planted. Through this fund, Ray’s story becomes not just his own, but a shared path forward for those who will follow in his footsteps.

Ray’s journey reminds us that architecture is not only about buildings, but also about shaping futures. From the challenges of navigating a colonial industry to the triumph of becoming a national leader in Indigenous design, his life’s work embodies reconciliation in action. By ensuring representation today and investing in tomorrow’s leaders, Ray Gosselin is building more than
structures—he is building legacy, hope, and opportunity for the generations to come.