Ashley MacDonald, BA (Hons), RSE Famer, is a Designer with SpruceLab, and holds an Honour’s degree in Furniture Craft and Design from Sheridan College and a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Problem Solving from the University of Buffalo. She is a mixed urban Indigenous designer and artist from the Cayuga Nation of Six Nations of the Grand River. She specializes in integrating Indigenous values into design, ensuring meaningful and authentic representation at every stage. She also leads Dbaajmowin, our site furnishings program dedicated to developing and coordinating opportunities for Indigenous representation. Ashley is involved in design work from the research stages, engagement, through to the production of concept plans through to technical drawings (preliminary shop drawings for fabrication). She also supports and helps plan co-design events, to ensure that indigenous narratives are central to our work. She has been leading our social media outreach, website development, and business outreach to Indigenous organizations. She is also a Red Seal Journeyman Framer, further enhancing her expertise in both creative and technical aspects of design. 

She has been recognized for her furniture designs at FashionManiac.com, Wanted Design NY, Toronto IDS, Google, Powwow Pitch Finalist and Canadian Woodworking magazine. Currently she is developing her furniture brand Wabuz. When she is not sketching new ideas, Ashley can be found exploring the local beaches, and riding bikes.