ALEX JANVIER: INDIGENOUS ICON

Walk of Fame | Martin Bierens

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Lately, I have started to feel homesick. These nostalgic yearnings for home led me to the topic of my first article, and the revival of the Walk of Fame column. I figured I would take a look at the life and work of a personal favourite of mine, prolific Indigenous and Albertan artist Alex Janvier. Before I dive into the article, I think it is important that I acknowledge that I am not Indigenous, and am an outsider in this community, however as an outsider I believe that it is important to celebrate the contributions of Indigenous people to Canadian history.

Alex Janvier: Indigenous Artist and Alberta Source

Janvier, born in 1935 on the Treaty 6 territory of the Le Goff Reserve, Cold Lake First Nations in Northern Alberta. He is of Dene Suline and Saulteaux descent. When Janvier was eight years old he was sent to Blue Quills Indian Residential School near St. Paul, Alberta. Perhaps this next statement is obvious, but Janvier’s time at Blue Quills was a dark period in his life. During and interview with Ottawa Morning host Hallie Cotnam in 2017, Janvier spoke frankly about his time there, “I was in fear. I became scared of everything, because I didn’t understand what was happening to me. They stripped you completely threw you in a public shower, and they cut your hair bald.”

Despite the horror that Janvier experienced at Blue Quills, this led him to the discovery of his artistic talent. He was able to use it as a form of escapism from the realities of the Residential School system.

“I found a certain time of the week, you could escape from the whole outlay of controls. And for about three hours, you’re in your own world, and that’s when I began to discover my ability to work on paper and the beautiful colours – all kinds of colours.”

After leaving Blue Quills, Janvier wished to the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto in order to pursue his art. His plan was quickly dashed by an Indian agent who refused to allow him to travel to Ontario. Thus, Janvier enrolled in the Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD) in Calgary.

Janvier at work. Source

Janvier began to make a name for himself in the Indigenous art community. This position was bolstered when Janvier was commissioned by the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs for eighty paintings to be included in the Canada Pavilion at Expo 67. Here he helped bring together other Indigenous artists to form the “Indian Group of Seven.”

Recently, a defining moment of Janvier’s career came in 2015, when the National Gallery of Canada opened a retrospective exhibition tracing the entirety of his career, Alex Janvier: Modern Indigenous Master. This exhibition traveled to multiple institutions across Canada, including the Glenbow Museum in Calgary in 2018, were I was able to see it and begin my love affair with his work.

One of the central pieces to Janvier’s exhibition at the Glenbow was a piece entitled Lubicon, which he created in 1988 as a response to the Lubicon Cree’s protests, of the Glenbow Museum’s exhibition The Spirit Sings (1988). There is significance in the fact that this piece was exhibited at the Glenbow, it can be viewed as symbolic victory, and a representation of the path of change museums have taken in the last 30 years.

In a sense the narrative of Lubicon can be seen as a metaphor for Janvier’s career. At the beginning of Janvier’s career he constantly had to fight for his right to exist as an artist. However, Janvier has survived these difficulties and become one of the most influential Indigenous artists in Canada, and worldwide.

Alex Janvier currently runs the Janvier Gallery with the help of his family in Cold Lake, Alberta.

Tsą tsą ke k’e (Iron Foot Place) in Rogers Place, Edmonton Alberta. Source

Before I leave you, I just want to tell you all about my personal favourite artwork of Alex Janvier’s is a public art installation in the new Rogers Place arena in Edmonton, the home of the Edmonton Oilers. The work, titled Tsą tsą ke k’e (Iron Foot Place) is a massive 45-foot diameter circular mosaic that welcomes visitors into the arena.

Next time you find yourself in a gallery be sure to keep an eye out for his work, you will be able to tell by looking for his iconic flowing lines, patterns, and vibrant colours.

FINDERS KEEPERS?: WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU FIND AN ARTIFACT BY CHANCE

Breaking the Glass Case | Alexandra Forand 

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Imagine, you are outside walking on a beautiful sun-shining day and you catch a glint of light in your peripheral vision. You take a closer look and you see it’s a quartz arrowhead! You pick it up, it is blue grey in color and about the size of your palm. The tip is chipped off. Perhaps the hunter who knapped this arrow head did this accidently and discarded it. Your first thought is probably, “this should be in a museum!” But… is that the right instinct? This exact scenario happened to my friend Kirsten, who works in and around different lakes in Saskatchewan. While on the job, Kirsten regularly finds amazing treasures, such as fossils, bones, and cultural heritage items. This is no surprise since lakes and rivers have been the heart of social interactions for Prairie peoples. Kirsten has built herself a collection made up of artifacts and pictures of specimens she has left behind.

The arrowhead that started it all. Photo curtesy of Kirsten Sepos. 

This scenario is actually quite common in rural areas, like the Prairie provinces. Chances of finding heritage items (arrow heads, medicines wheels, spear points, stone axes, hammerstones and tipi rings) are quiet high. This is because the Prairie provinces were (and still are) significant places for Indigenous communities to live, hunt, trade, and celebrate for nearly 400 generations! So it is no surprise that Indigenous material culture is densely deposited across the land.

Today, farmers, fishers, conservation officers, gardeners, and people enjoying nature find these remnants of ancient (and sometimes modern) Indigenous communities. So the question remains: what do you do when you find these objects?

Bodies of water, such as Lake Diefenbaker, were and are significant meeting areas in Saskatchewan (source.)

The province of Alberta is taking steps to answer this question. One of the first things they recommend is reporting the spot you found the artifact on the Alberta culture website. Here, they ask you to include a digital photograph, a location, your personal information (phone number, email, address, etc), and a description and circumstance of how you came across the artifact. After you submit this information, an Archeological Information Coordinator will confirm this is a new archeological site, which will be entered into the Archeological Site Inventory database.


While I was writing this piece, I came across an instance where construction of a road was being halted because of the uncovered Indigenous objects. Jim Gilroy, the farmer whose land the construction was taking place on, contacted the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) and together they signed a memorandum of understand which signified the groups commitment to protecting the land. Both parties hope the land will be designated as a heritage site and see this partnership as an act of reconciliation.

It is not uncommon for farmers to have an extensive collection of artifacts which have been collected over the years (source.)

But that does not answer the question at hand. Let us return to Kirsten, her arrow head, and what she should do. In Saskatchewan the protocol is much less clear. If you want to donate your artifact to a museum, there is a good possibility they will not accept the object. Some of the larger museums in Saskatchewan such as the Western Development Museum, focuses on collecting artifacts from the 20thcentury. The Royal Saskatchewan Museum, does collect artifacts from all time periods, but they too may say no. Artifacts such as arrowheads, hammerstones, and spear points tend to be extremely common in Prairie museums and often have little, or no known history associated with the artifact.



So for now Kirsten curates her small collection and when she comes across an artifact in the bush, she reflects on the fact that she might be the first person in one thousand years to touch this object.

Have you ever found anything on your adventures? I want to know! Contact me at allyforand@gmail.com or if Twitter and Instagram are more your speed my handle on both is @Ally_but_online.

IDENTITY, REPRESENTATION, AND INDIGENEITY: ART IN THE HOSPITAL

Exhibition Reviews | Joanna Wreakes 

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For this Exhibition Review we venture out west to Edmonton and the McMullen Gallery, located inside the University of Alberta Hospitals. An intriguing space, the free public gallery looks to reach a wide audience including medical staff, patients, and the greater public. Currently showing at McMullen Gallery is The Future All At Once, a solo exhibition of work by Lauren Crazybull, Alberta’s first provincial Artist in Residence.

View of The Future All At Once in Edmonton's McMullen Gallery. Photo courtesy of Joanna Wreakes

The exhibition features 10 portraits she completed during a recent residency at McLuhan House in Edmonton. Each portrait represents someone that the artist knows personally.

With windows facing into the hospital, Crazybull’s vibrant work draws in visitors passing by who may not have realized that the gallery was there at all!

Looking into the gallery from the hospital's main hallway. Photo courtesy of Joanna Wreakes

Upon entering, viewers are immediately greeted by a large introductory text panel, featuring a reproduction of one of the portraits in the exhibition and the same bright colours found throughout. The introductory panel was written by the artist. In it, she speaks of using portraiture to confront (mis)representation of Indigenous peoples. The title of the exhibition, The Future All At Once, was inspired by thinking both back to her childhood and towards shaping Indigenous Futures - on this topic the artist says "today is a future for our past selves."

The artist and Tyler Sherard, executve director of Friends of University of Alberta Hospitals and McMullen Gallery, work on installation of the exhibition while being filmed by a local journalist. Photo courtesy of Joanna Wreakes.

The majority of works in the exhibition are acrylic on unstretched canvas and all are unframed. Each piece is installed in such a way that it appears to be almost floating off of the walls. By not installing the artworks flat to the wall, beautiful shadows and slightly curled edges of the canvas are visible. The effects that are created here only add to the depth of the work. Though the gallery is relatively small, it’s easy to lose track of time gazing at the expressive portraits.

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🗣 My show is up at @mcmullengallery until August 4th! Hope to see you at the opening reception this Thursday at 7:30 💌

A post shared by Lauren Crazybull (@elceebee) on Jun 10, 2019 at 12:04pm PDT

Crazybull's work is also extremely appropriate considering the location of McMullen Gallery and mandate of the Friends of University Hospitals, the non-profit that overseas the gallery, collection, and other arts programming in the hospital. The benefit of art on people's wellness is beginning to be discussed in both the arts and healthcare realms - remember when the news broke about doctors prescribing museum and art gallery visits? The bright colours and use of portraiture in this setting can be extremely beneficial in aiding patient, staff, and visitor well-being. 

"Power and Vulnerability" by Lauren Crazybull. Photo courtesy of Joanna Wreakes.

Crazybull will also be completing a short residency at McMullen Gallery during the exhibition. From July 24th to 26th, she will be working in the gallery from 1 to 3 each day. Members of the public are encouraged to visit during this residency to see the exhibition and engage with the artist.

To finish this review, a powerful quote from the artist that is included in the introductory text:

“I believe that our choice to be vulnerable in our healing & uprising has created power."

"Self Portrait" by Lauren Crazybull. Photo courtesy of Joanna Wreakes.

The Future All At Once opened on June 8th and runs until August 4th. If you find yourself in the Edmonton area make sure to take a trip to McMullen Gallery to see it!