Topic: ARTS

Mary McPherson pictured with Scene of my Elders Emerging from an Inauthentic Past, a drawing she did last year.

Photo courtesy of The Royal Canadian Mint

A fourth-year visual arts student at Lakehead University says it feels incredible to have designed one side of a new coin for the Royal Canadian Mint.

The Royal Canadian Mint asked Mary McPherson to participate in the design process for the new coin.

She was thrilled when the Mint chose her image of Tecumseh, a legendary Shawnee war leader who allied himself with the British and heroically led hundreds of First Nations warriors into battle at such places as Fort Meigs and most famously, Detroit.

Released on Tuesday, Sept. 4, the new coin recognizes the 250th anniversary of Tecumseh’s birth.

“It feels incredibly different than the work that I usually produce,” said McPherson, who is Ojibway and a member of Couchiching First Nation.

“I’ve never had an artistic experience quite like this one. I feel extremely grateful to have had the honour of drawing Tecumseh and having the design immortalized on a coin.”

McPherson said she learned a lot during the process.

“What I particularly realized throughout the duration of this project was how Tecumseh had, according to Dickason and Newbigging, ‘sided with the British, not because he liked them particularly but because he saw them as the lesser of two evils,’” she said.

“Tecumseh fought for the wellbeing and independence of his people. He had also united Indigenous nations, in resistance to a divide-and-conquer mentality, while maintaining the essential notion that the land was to be shared among all peoples and was not something to be owned.”

The MM on the right side of the coin represents McPherson’s initials. McPherson said her Lakehead University education helped her immensely with this process.

“Through Visual Arts and Indigenous Learning, I was able to improve my drawing skills, research skills, and time management skills, which aided me in completing this project.”

For more information about the coin, visit the Royal Canadian Mint website.

Headliners The Killers performing on final night | Photo by Johnathan Evans

SKOOKUM Music Festival Draws Huge Crowd Despite Monsoon Rainfall

By Kelly Many Guns and Laura Balance Media Group

An estimated 50,000 music lovers were enchanted by over 50 stage performances involving some of the world’s most famed artists during the inaugural SKOOKUM Festival, held September 7 to 9 at iconic Stanley Park – one of the biggest urban green recreational areas.

Festival director Paul Runnals said when his organizing team envisioned SKOOKUM, their goal was to create an event that was accessible, inclusive, and sustainable. “Our team wanted to produce a festival that would be unlike anything done before in this region, successfully incorporating food, art, culture, and of course music. The response we had throughout the weekend was overwhelmingly positive,” said Runnals.

Incessant weekend rain showers couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of festival-goer’s on hand there to see headlining acts The Killers, Florence + The Machine, the Arkells, Metric, and many others. Aboriginal artist Murray Porter, the Mohawk piano player from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, played his country blues. Porter’s soulful voice sang contemporary stories about Canada’s Indigenous people, and also on the universal theme of love.

Performing before a hyper crowd at one of the smaller meadow stages on Saturday evening was The Snotty Nose Rez Kids, the hip-hop duo from the Haisla Nation of the Haislakal-speaking people. Recreating their identities within their own contexts, they aim to reclaim their voices and share them with a wider audience.  

Crystal Shawanda of the Wikwemikong First Nation belted out a country rock and blues-filled set under a Sunday afternoon monsoon downpour. Though Shawanda’s parents raised her on country music and taught her how to sing and play guitar, it was her oldest brother who introduced her to the blues. He would hang out in the basement cranking out Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and Etta James, and Crystal would sit at the top of the stairs straining to hear those soulful sounds.

The renowned, award-winning recording artist, educator, and visual artist Buffy Sainte-Marie performed on the Forest Stage as the rain came down. Sainte-Marie said she was honoured to be invited to play SKOOKUM and be surrounded by so many diverse musicians.

In 2017, she released Medicine Songs, a collection of songs about the environment, alternative conflict resolution, Indigenous realities, and greed. Part rhythmic healing, part trumpeting wake-up call, Medicine Songs is the soundtrack of the resistance.

Also well received was the SKOOKUM After Dark Program, which included 11 well-attended shows at various Vancouver venues.

More than 15,000 people attended opening night on Friday, with a crowd of 18,500 and 17,000 Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The majority of attendees were from the lower mainland and approximately 18 percent were from outside of region, resulting in a significant economic impact for the community.  

“An event of this magnitude doesn’t happen by accident,” said Runnals. “We have an incredible team at BRANDLIVE and hundreds of volunteers, all of who went above and beyond to deliver a world class event.”

Many festival attendees took advantage of transportation challenges associated with holding an event of this magnitude in Stanley Park by utilizing the SKOOKUM shuttle service, public transit, and EVO’s free valet service.

Along with reminders to recycle and compost, SKOOKUM Festival-goers were encouraged to reduce their environmental footprint by bringing their own reusable drink containers – and in large part they embraced the opportunity.

The Festival had no reports of major incidents, or medical-related issues.  

Event organizers pan to return to the Park Board and Local First Nations to seek a multi-year agreement that will bring back the festival in 2019.

August 8-19, 2018 | vinesartfestival.com

Vines Art Festival, Vancouver’s unique multidisciplinary eco-arts festival, features over 70 performing and visual artists at parks throughout Vancouver: Trout Lake Park, Kitsilano Beach, CRAB Park, Granville Island, Roundhouse Community Centre, and Strathcona Park –  August 8th-19th, with the main event at Trout Lake Park on August 18th. In its fourth year, this 100% free, all-ages, event joins activism with the arts, not to mention it’s fun, interactive and celebratory!

Our featured artist duo is the Resilient Roots emerging artist, Jaz Whitford, spoken word performer from the Secwepemc Peoples, and Award Winning musician Sandy Scofield, who is Métis of Saulteaux and Cree Nations.

Resilient Roots is the heart of Vines Art Festival, bringing together emerging Indigenous artists who are also bearing their souls on the frontline grassroots movements, speaking out against the Pipelines and resource extraction, and combining art with activism – Artivism.

This year’s group is diverse and well spoken, with the emerging artists growing in their practice with the opportunity to work with an Indigenous mid-career artists to mentor them in creating a new, never-before-seen piece to be performed in the Finale of this summer’s festival on August 17th and 18th at Trout Lake Park!

The line up of the Resilient Roots program includes Alex Taylor McCallum with mentor Nikki Ermineskin, Jaye Simpson with mentor Edzi’u, Jaz Whitford with mentor Sandy Scofield, Mitcholos Touchie with mentor Jonina Kirton, Valeen Jules with mentor Rosemary Georgeson, and Crystal Smith with mentor Ronnie Dean Harris.

Our featured artist duo is the Resilient Roots emerging artist, Jaz Whitford, spoken word performer from the Secwepemc Peoples, and Award Winning musician Sandy Scofield, who is Métis of Saulteaux and Cree Nations.

Jaz is an anti-professional, working as a street musician, slam poet with a focus on decolonization and indigenous autonomy. they are a defender of the sacred and use their craft as a tool to decolonization and land sovereignty. they reside as a guest on unceded and ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-waututh), and sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) First Nation peoples, otherwise and colonially known as Vancouver. they and their fire are from the Secwepemc nation of the south central interior.

Jaz has been presented by Vines Art Festival, Vancouver Verses Festival, Spartacus Books, Savage Society, Vancouver Poetry Festival and Vancouver Public Library. Jaz also sang with Arcade Fire in the 2018 Juno’s. They are in a mentorship with Sandy Scofield, creating their unique bluesy sound and they look forward to releasing their first album soon.

Jaz in the recording session with mentor Sandy Scofield in preparation for their first album to be released at Vines Festival 2018.

Sandy Scofield is a multi-award winning composer, musician and singer. She has studied classical, jazz, African, Indonesian gamelan and electro-acoustic music. A Métis from the Saulteaux and Cree Nations, she hails from four generations of fiddlers, singers and musicians. Among her four recordings to date, she has won five Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards, a Canadian Folk Music Award, an Indian Summer Music Award (U.S.A.), a Western Canadian Music Award and received three consecutive Juno nominations. Over the years, she has mentored innumerable First Nations singers and songwriters in the way of rudimentary music theory, vocal techniques, songwriting craft and music-industry protocol. She has toured to festivals on five continents with the the International Rainforest World Music Festival in Borneo, 2011 making the fifth.  She has composed for dance, film, television and theatre, with the Aboriginal Welcoming Song for the 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremonies, the highlight to date.

Upon interview with the two featured artists, Jaz says

“The importance of this mentorship to me is upholding indigenous values and teaching methods through a one on one relationship and community based teaching style.”

Sandy Scofield highlights that the mentor relationship is that of historical cultural practices of passing down knowledge in generations, is elated to be sharing studio time in this mentorship, and is proud of how gifted Jaz already is!

Jaz in the recording session with mentor Sandy Scofield in preparation for their first album to be released at Vines Festival 2018.

Michael Greyeyes and Jessica Chastain in Woman Walks Ahead

Canadian First Nation actor Michael Greyeyes plays Sitting Bull, the great Sioux leader, in the summer movie, Woman Walks Ahead.

Greyeyes co-stars with Academy Award-nominee Jessica Chastain, who plays Catherine Weldon, and Academy Award-winner Sam Rockwell, who describes his role as the legendary Sitting Bull as one he was destined to play.

“Playing Sitting Bull is the role of a lifetime, and I am truly honoured that I was chosen to portray this great historical leader. My entire family were, of course, excited and very happy that I got the role,” said Rockwell.

Woman Walks Ahead is about Weldon, a portrait painter from 1880s Brooklyn, New York, who travels to North Dakota to paint a portrait of Sitting Bull and becomes embroiled in the Lakota peoples’ struggle to maintain their right to their land.

I asked Greyeyes about the main challenge playing Sitting Bull. “Trying to play someone who’s larger than life. An actor can’t possibly recreate someone, a whole person, but I wanted to create the mood, the emotional life of the character so that audiences could see what Sitting Bull may have been feeling during that time,” said Greyeyes.

He says studying the Lakota language was also a great challenge in preparing for the role. “I knew some of the history of the period, but what helped me the most was studying the Lakota language. World view is embedded in any language, so as I studied my Lakota dialogue I had to come to understand how cultural meaning was revealed inside the language,” said Greyeyes. “The production provided me with resources, so that was of great help. I also had the guidance of Ben Black Bear, my language instructor. He’s truly an inspiration.”

In the movie, Sam Rockwell plays Silas Groves, the US Army officer who tries his best to sow division among the Sioux to thwart Sitting Bull’s effort to convince his people not to forfeit Sioux land.

The scene where Sitting Bull gives a speech in full Lakota dialogue is one part of the movie that stands out in Greyeye’s memory.

“The commission speech! I felt a lot of pressure to get that scene right. We must have shot that scene 30 times in one day,” said Greyeyes. “I just wanted to get it right because I knew there would be Lakota speakers watching this movie and I wanted to make sure that speech was accurate and truthful, as Sitting Bull was a great orator. It is a significant scene in the film and I wanted to do it justice.”

Catherine Weldon (1844 -1921), was a Swiss-American artist and activist with the National Indian Defense Association. Weldon became a confidante and the personal secretary to the Lakota Sioux Indian leader, Sitting Bull, during the time when Plains Indians had adopted the Ghost Dance movement.

Greyeyes said before he got the script he was not aware of the story between Catherine Weldon and Sitting Bull. “No, I was not aware of her story before I read the script. I am just glad we are able to share this story, as this was a dismal period in American history,” said Greyeyes. “The state wanted Lakota territory and were willing to use violence and starvation to clear the land, so we discover Sitting Bull at this desperate moment in time, caught in a titanic struggle for survival.”

It could be said there are some comparisons to the film and what is happening in today’s Trump Administration so I asked Greyeyes his thought on this issue.

“Unfortunately, there are too many comparisons that can be made to the Trump administration,” said Greyeyes. “We, Indigenous people, have been resistant to the settler agenda since long before the days of Sitting Bull, and we continue to be the resistance today. Everything from the Dakota Access Pipeline to the more recent ethnic hatred around immigration. This is very familiar to us as native people. Sad to see so little has changed.”

Greyeyes said working with both Chastain and Rockwell was a great experience and that both actors had great energy. “It was so wonderful working with Jessica; she is one of the most generous and intelligent actors I’ve ever worked with,” said Greyeyes. “Working with Sam was also a great experience, so hard-working and generous. He worked really hard to learn his Lakota dialogue; he and I would get together to practice on the weekends. They were both incredible collaborators to work with.”

Greyeyes has starred in 31 TV movies and series beginning with his 1993 debut on American television’s movie of the week (MOW), Geronimo. Presently, he plays the role of Qaletaqa Walker, in Fear the Walking Dead.

One movie that sticks out as one of the most memorable for Greyeyes is a 1997 movie of the week. “It was a film I did for CBS, actually a MOW called ‘Stolen Women, Captured Hearts.’ What was interesting about it is that I got the most fan mail, by far, for that movie, back when we actually mailed stuff, before the internet and Facebook,” said Greyeyes. “It reached a world-wide audience, and I received mail from around the world, reminding me that movie had really made an impact to their thinking. It really struck me how important and positive the media is in conveying that history.”

The list of great Native American and Canadian actors like the late Chief Dan George, Will Sampson, and Floyd Red Crow were true idols and actors Greyeyes looks up to. So I asked him if it was tough for him and his contemporaries like Adam Beach, Graham Greene, and Wes Studi, to find good roles as a native actor.

“Really tough to find a good role as an actor. Period,” said Greyeyes. “The native roles are, therefore, even tougher to find, to tell our stories authentically, but the writing is getting better. I played Qaletaqa Walker in ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ and I enjoyed playing that character. He was unusual in that he was both brutal and keenly intelligent at the same time.”

Along with being an actor, Greyeyes is a choreographer, director and educator. He is from the Muskeg Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan. His father was from the Muskeg Lake First Nation and his mother was from the Sweetgrass First Nation, both located in Saskatchewan.

“I grew up in Saskatoon, in Treaty 6 territory, so I didn’t grow up on the rez. But my family and all our relatives were either on reserve or in Battleford, so I was able to spend a lot of time there,” said Greyeyes. “Of course, our band, Muskeg Lake, like many other communities, now has something like 80 percent membership off-reserve.”

Woman Walks Ahead is a good movie and captures a moment in time that many people are probably not aware of. Greyeyes as Sitting Bull is truly a great performance and is worth watching the movie.

Finally, I asked Greyeyes what he hoped audiences will take away from the movie.

“I certainly want people to be aware that Sitting Bull was assassinated, that his death was politically motivated,” said Greyeyes. “Like I said earlier, it was a dismal part of history, a terrible landscape of violence and aggression against our peoples. It is a great opportunity for the film to show this to audiences, allow them inside our struggles, and show them a neglected aspect of this shared history.”

Michael Greyeyes as Sitting Bull

The first annual Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto (IFWTO) presents the most distinct and progressive Indigenous artists working in fashion, textiles and craft May 31 – June 3, 2018 at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Featuring four exciting runway showcases and a curated exhibition, IFWTO also offers panels and lectures, as well as hands-on workshops and a marketplace.

Founded by innovative Dene artist/designer Sage Paul, Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto is committed to the advancement and empowerment of Indigenous artists and designers. The marketplace includes works by 75% Indigenous women artists among 40 vendors offering fashion, food, cosmetics, lifestyle, craft, textiles and more from Canada, the US and Greenland, with a spotlight on the far north.

In multi-day, hands-on workshops, participants will learn about Indigo Dyeing (Tuscarora Nation), Black Walnut Dyeing (Tuscarora Nation), Navajo Rug Weaving, and Beading for Beginners (Dene Nation).

The IFWTO panelists and lecturers include Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists, designers, and industry academics and leaders sharing knowledge about Indigenous Dyes & Fibres, Storytelling & Symbolism in Textiles & Design, Cultural (In)Appropriation, Indigenous Entrepreneurship and Indigenous Fashion Futurisms.

“Indigenous fashion can redefine mainstream fashion and art: our fashion illustrates our stories, traditions, sovereignty and resiliency,” says Sage Paul, Artistic Director. “IFWTO is about carving out space for Indigenous fashion, craft and textiles and we are thrilled to be presenting Indigenous artists and their works from across Canada, the USA and Greenland this Spring.”

Four live runway shows inspired by traditional seasons of the moon showcase stylish men’s and women’s wear, street wear, avant-garde, traditional regalia, jewelery and craft from  23 Indigenous artists and designers.

The line-up of artists and designers at Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto include: evening-wear designer Lesley Hampton; beader and accessory designer Helen Oro; haute couture fashion designer Sho Sho Esquiro, known for her mix of fabric, furs, skins, shells and beadwork; and Dorothy Grant, who combines Haida art with classic clothing design.

The New Moon show (Thursday, May 31) recognizes Spring and birth in new work and emerging artists: Lesley Hampton, Evan Ducharme, Warren Steven Scott, Janelle Wawia, Sugiit Lukx Designs (Yolanda Skelton), and Meghann O’Brien.

The Berry Moon (Friday, June 1) celebrates summer and powwow season with traditionally inspired work and regalia of the future: Catherine Blackburn, Mi’kmaq Design (Ingrid Brooks), Helen Oro Designs, Niio Perkins Designs, Timeless Shadows Apparel (Tracey Heese), and Injunuity (Cheryl & Carissa Copenace).

On Saturday, June 2, the theme is Harvest Moon, a time of year to gather and prepare for the winter months. The runway presents an intergenerational honouring of matriarchs, with designs that recognize the vitality of stories and teachings passed through generations, featuring works from Dorothy Grant, Delina White, Artifaax (Denise Brillon), and The Chinimiwin Collective.

With Frost Moon enters the winter months on Sunday, June 3 in a showcase of Inuk street style from Nunavut and Greenland and high Dene fashion featuring seal fur, vibrant colour and bone from Nuuk Couture, Sho Sho Esquiro, Hinaani Design, Victoria Kakuktinniq, Tania Larsson, and Crystal Worl.

Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto celebrates the beauty and vitality of contemporary Indigenous expression and its connection to Indigenous knowledge and ways of life. Led by Indigenous women, IFWTO is offering audiences an authentic, accessible opportunity to connect with Indigenous artists and celebrate cultural expression. “Our community is bursting at the seams with new works in fashion, craft and textiles, and we are proud to be recognizing their artistry at the first Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto,” says Sage Paul, Artistic Director. “This year’s program of artists and designers represent the diversity of design, expression, and tradition from nations across North America and Greenland.”

Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto launches May 31 – June 3, 2018 at Harbourfront Centre (235 Queens Quay West). Ticket Sales and Workshop Registration open April 1, 2018. Visit [www.ifwtoronto.com]

Follow IFWToronto on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram for more details.

Photographer Baz Kanda
Performance: STAR DANCERS by Kaha:wi Dance Theatre

The first National Aboriginal Achievement Awards in 1993 were held to celebrate excellence in the Aboriginal community.

Those awards were televised and it was an exciting time for many First Nations, Metis and Inuit people because they were seeing themselves for the very first time being recognized and honoured in a first class ceremony.

Since then the awards were changed to the Indspire Awards and have been hosted in cities across the country with this year’s ceremony being held in Winnipeg for the third time.

This year’s theme for the awards ceremony was, “Indigitropolis, Where Language Lives,” which came from the vision of Indigenous language reclamation and revitalization.

The Indspire Awards Ceremony program reads, “When it comes to Indigenous language, there are many layers, but at the centre of the conversation is a striking reality: Indigenous People across Kanata have witnessed the near extinction of their languages since the dawn of the Residential School era(s).”

This impacted community well-being, sense of self and identity. This is why the movement of Indigenous language reclamation and revitalization is essential if our communities are going to thrive.

The goal was to create a show that embodied the essence of, “Indigenous languages thriving.” To us, Indigitropolis is a place where Indigenous languages live and thrive. It is where Indigenous culture, ceremony and identity prosper, where everything in life is witnessed through an Indigenous world view. It is rural, it is urban, it is everywhere.

This year’s hosts were actors and comedians Darrell Dennis and Kyle Nobess. Performances included Cheri Maracle, Indian City, the Asham Stompers, Star Dancers, member of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra with choreographer and dancer Santee Smith.

Presenters included Dances with Wolves actress, Tantoo Cardinal, actor Johnny Issaluk and CBC Radio host of Unreserved, Rosanna DeerChild.

In the program, the awards committee said they were inspired by the neon signs on a skyline for the stage’s unique backdrop effect.

“We translated the words ‘Speak’ and ‘Language’ into nine Indigenous languages including Innuaimun, Mi’kmaq, Mohawk, Nisga, Michif, Ojibwe, Inuktitut, Dene and Plains Cree, and erected a skyline that embraced the entire stage to ensure that every performance, recipient reveal, and host introduction was being supported by language, identity, and indigeneity,” according to the awards committee.

The 2018 Indspire Awards will be televised on APTN and CBC in June, with the date to be announced in May.

Dr. Jane Ash Poitras CM RCA has received many honors as an internationally acclaimed visual artist and lecturer who has influenced a new generation of artists and students .

She has now added the Order of Canada to the numerous awards she has received in recognition of her achievements and contributions that include the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and honorary doctorates from the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta.

With Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees from the University of Alberta, she went on to obtain a Master of Fine Arts degree from Columbia University in New York City. Immediately upon leaving Columbia, she returned to Canada to play a significant role in the development of a new visual vocabulary for First Nations perspectives in contemporary art. Her unique style combines representational strategies of postmodern art—collage, layering, overpainting and incorporation of found objects—with a deep commitment to the politics and issues common to indigenous peoples.

A sessional lecturer for the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Native Studies for more than 20 years, throughout her career she has been much in demand as a guest lecturer at universities and conferences and at the many exhibitions of her own art across Canada and the United States and internationally, including Paris, Amsterdam and Mexico City.

Jane’s journey of discovery and creation has opened new doors to enlightenment as she combines her many diverse interests in pursuit of her distinctive artistic vision. Over the years, Jane has pursued many different routes of discovery, each reflected in the art she has produced. Those journeys of exploration have taken her not only into plumbing her Aboriginal roots (beginning by reconnecting with her birth family and her Mikisew Cree First Nation), but into such diverse topics as pharmacology, ethnobotany, linguistics, and literary creations supplementing the creation of visual works of art.

The range and diversity of the interests that inspire and inform her artistic creations have resulted in a number of distinctive series of artworks that, over time, reflect the paths she has taken on her journey of discovery. A survey of those series over the 30 years of her professional career could well serve as a map of that journey and a graphic record of her evolution as an artist.

For example, in 2009 she traveled to Japan with her son Eli, a student in Japanese language and culture, a tour that consisted primarily of visits to Buddhist monasteries and left a lasting impression on both of them. When she returned, while she continued to focus on Indigenous history, culture and spirituality that had informed and inspired her previous work, her new work subsequently began to incorporate Japanese elements and their placement according to Japanese art customs.

Edmonton Journal visual arts critic Janice Ryan previewed one of Poitras’s recent exhibitions, an ambitious collection of works layered with handwritten text, vintage photos, stamps and newspaper clippings placed over a background of thinned oil and acrylic paint . “The work is engaging for its beauty alone,” Ryan wrote. “But up close is where the cerebral journey begins, unraveling fragments of information, both subtle and in-your-face pronouncements, to reveal the story this imaginative
artist is telling.”

One of the key aspects of her art that sets it apart from the work of other artists is her ability to combine and reconcile disparate themes and elements to create fully resolved works that convey information on different levels. Commenting on her art, Poitras says “each blank canvas is an invitation to a journey of discovery. I may begin with an idea of what the final destination—the completed painting—may be, but I’m always open to the unexpected. As Carl Beam said, the art of placement is a spiritual act. Each step in the creative process may reveal unexpected choices that require decisions.

“The final decision for each piece is to know when it is resolved, when it is finished.”
The art of Jane Ash Poitras is featured in dozens of prestigious private, public and corporate collection.

She is represented by the Bearclaw Gallery in Edmonton, the Canada House Gallery in Banff, the Kinsman Robinson Galleries in Toronto and Galerie d’Art Vincent in Ottawa.

Iconic Dene artist Dr. Alex Janvier CM AOE RCA may be 82, but he`s still painting, still inspiring succeeding generations . . . and still receiving awards.

His most recent honor is the 2017 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artist Award which also went to poet Alice Major and composer John Estacio. At a recent presentation luncheon at the Banff Centre each recipient received a handcrafted medal, $30,000 and a two-week residency at the Banff Centre`s Leighton Artist`s Studio.

His many other awards include the Order of Canada; the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal; the Alberta Order of Excellence; honorary doctorates from the University of British Columbia, the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta, the Alberta Centennial Medal; and the Governor General Award in Visual and Media Arts.

Born of Dene Suline and Saulteaux descent on the Cold Lake (Alberta) Reserve in 1935, Alex was eight years old when he was uprooted from his home and sent to the Blue Quills Indian Residential School near St. Paul, Alberta. Although Janvier says he had a creative instinct from as far back as he can remember, it was at the residential school that he was given the tools to create his first paintings. Unlike many Aboriginal artists of his time, Janvier went on to receive formal art training from the Alberta College of Art in Calgary and graduated with honours in 1960. Immediately after graduation, Janvier accepted an opportunity to instruct art at the University of Alberta.

While Alex credits the influence of artists Wassily Kandinsky (Russian) and Paul Klee (Swiss), his style is unique. Many of his masterpieces involve an eloquent blend of both abstract and representational images with bright, often symbolic colours. As a First Nations person emerging from a history of oppression and many struggles for cultural empowerment, Janvier paints both the challenges and celebrations that he has encountered in his lifetime. Alex proudly credits the beadwork and birch bark basketry of his mother and other relatives as influencing his art.

As a member of the commonly referred to “Indian Group of Seven”, Janvier is one of the significant pioneering Aboriginal artists in Canada, and as such has influenced many generations of Aboriginal artists. By virtue of his art, Janvier was selected to represent Canada in a Canadian/Chinese Cultural Exchange in 1985.

Although he has completed several murals nationally, Janvier speaks of the 450 square-meter circular masterpiece entitled “Morning Star” on the ceiling of the Canadian Museum of Civilization (now History), as a major highlight in his career. In January 2004, one of Janvier’s works was displayed in Paris, France at the Canadian Forum on e Cultural Enterprise.

Last year, a Janvier design was replicated in bits of glass in a 45-foot in diameter installation at the entrance to the new Rogers Centre arena in Edmonton–a $1 million art project.

In recognition of his success, Alex Janvier recently received three prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, The Tribal Chiefs Institute, and Cold Lake First Nations. Janvier’s passion and natural talents for creative expression remains strong to this day.

In 2012 the new Janvier Gallery opened on Cold Lake First Nations 149B, which is located north of the City of Cold Lake.

The history of Indigenous Peoples in the Americas, before and after 1492, has always been told from the point of view of the European settlers and in recent times, by non-Indigenous scholars. Until now. Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) will present the world premiere of the docu-drama series 1491: The Untold Story of the Americas Before Columbus starting November 8th on APTN hd and e at 7:00 p.m. ET, APTN w at 7:00 p.m. MT and n North at 7:00 p.m. CT.

Based on Charles C. Mann’s best selling book, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, the eight hour miniseries, produced by Animiki See Digital Production of Winnipeg and Aarrow Productions of Victoria, takes its audience on a journey dating as far back as 20,000 years ago through to 1491. The series focuses on the origins and history of ancient civilizations and groundbreaking achievements in North and South America in the areas of agriculture, astronomy, architecture, environment, governance, medicine, technology, science, trade and art.

The series is produced, directed and written by Indigenous Canadians and most of the 35 historians, archaeologists, cultural experts and scholars interviewed have Indigenous ancestry. The series features an Indigenous cast of actors and cultural leaders who provide context on Indigenous history in the Americas.

“For many years it has been a dream for APTN to adapt Charles C. Mann’s groundbreaking New York Times Bestseller into a documentary miniseries,” said Jean La Rose, APTN Chief Executive Officer. “Many people are now displaying a greater openness to Indigenous perspectives and the time for this authentic story is fitting. Through the work of an amazing team of thought-provoking producers, scholars and talent, we hope to tell a new history of Indigenous Peoples in the Americas and our contributions to the world.”

Mann’s critically acclaimed book, 1491, dispels long-held theories that prior to European contact, Indigenous Peoples were largely nomadic, did not alter the natural landscape, and were not as advanced as other civilizations in the world at the time.

“I am thrilled that my book has inspired APTN and two Indigenous production companies to create a docu-drama series on the history of the Americas before Columbus’ arrival,” said Charles Mann. “I’m looking forward to seeing this team create an epic narrative of Indigenous history that is long overdue.”

 
Two award-winning filmmakers, Barbara Hager (Cree/Métis) and Lisa Jackson (Anishinaabe), directed the series in locations throughout North, Central and South America. The series was written by Barbara Hager and Marie Clements (Métis). Other key creatives include composer Russell Wallace (Lil’wat), production designer Teresa Weston, costume designer Carmen Thompson (Nuu-chah-nulth), director of photography Bob Aschmann, editors Michael Clark and Tyler F. Gamsby and narrator Dr. Evan Adams (Tla’amin).

“The opportunity to direct the dramatic scenes in this series that brings to life stories of our collective history, is both an honour and a creative challenge,” said Lisa Jackson, the series’ drama director. “My co-director Barbara Hager and I share a vision that this series must portray the history of Indigenous Peoples in an accurate, authentic and respectful way.”