Melanie Parsons, artist and owner of Savage Rose Designs, is a proud Cree Métis woman. She was born in, and lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. This area is also known as Mohkinstsis; traditional lands of the Blackfoot nation. Her mother is a member of the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation in Treaty 6 Territory and has family ties in Ile-a-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan, Canada. Her father was born in Ontario, Canada and has family roots reaching as far as England.

Melanie launched Savage Rose Designs in 2010. She is self-taught but comes from a long line of Cree artisans. Melanie finds joy in spending hours perfecting her art and craft, sharing her expertise and learning new skills or techniques from other Indigenous artists. Melanie embraces her heritage and promotes Indigenous culture and practices through her art and work.

Savage Rose is proudly named in honour of her late Grandmother, Elizabeth ’Savage’ Ahenakew and her mother, Sandra Rose Belanger – being beautiful, hardworking and resilient Indigenous women. It is true ‘savage’ has been used in a derogatory way when referring to Indigenous Peoples, however, Savage only reminds Melanie of her Grandma’s love, beauty, courage, perseverance and teachings. This was a nickname given to her grandmother by her adoring father when she was a little girl because she was such a free spirit.