Visual arts & new media

The Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards Foundation is proud to announce that artist Faye HeavyShield (Blood Reserve, Kainaiwa Nation, AB), writer and filmmaker Cheryl Foggo (Calgary, AB), and dance choreographer Vicki Adams Willis (Calgary, AB), have been selected to receive the 2021 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artist Award.

Arlene Strom, chair of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards Foundation said, “Albertans can be proud of these three whose contributions have pushed the boundaries of art to reflect Indigenous identity and expression; present a more inclusive and diverse view of Alberta’s history; and define the province as a beacon for jazz dance artists. Each has contributed immeasurably to the development of the province’s artists, arts communities and expanding art disciplines.”

Faye HeavyShield, Visual Arts

Over the past 30 years, Faye HeavyShield is one of Canada’s pre-eminent artists within Alberta and the Blackfoot Confederacy. Currently living on the Blood Reserve in southwestern Alberta, Faye studied at Alberta University for the Arts in Calgary. 

Honouring her Kainaiwa (Blood) Nation, the striking landscape they dwell within and the Blackfoot language which she speaks, Faye HeavyShield’s legacy of three-dimensional art and sculpture, including recent installations incorporating photography and delicately constructed paper figures, make her a senior figure in the artistic and cultural renaissance of Indigenous nations in the country. 

Cheryl Foggo, Playwright, screenwriter, film maker, author

Creating a more inclusive and diverse view of Alberta’s history through her plays, films, books, articles and multi-media presentations has been Cheryl Foggo’s life work. Profiled in Who’s Who in Black Canada and the recipient of the 2008 national Harry Jerome Award for The Arts, Foggo has applied her talent as a researcher and writer to uncovering the compelling but overlooked stories of Alberta’s Black settlers and cowboys. Most recently, the award winning National Film Board feature-length documentary, John Ware Reclaimed (2020), highlighted an earlier thriving Black community in the province often left out of the history books.

Her seminal, autobiographical book, Pourin’ Down Rain: A Black Woman Claims Her Place In The Canadian West was reprinted in 2020 to commemorate its 30th anniversary. In addition to her books, Cheryl Foggo has published prose in more than 40 journals and anthologies. Two new productions of Foggo‘s plays are scheduled in 2021 with the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton and the Urgency Collective in Calgary, and her short play The Sender is currently available through Toronto’s Obsidian Company’s 21 Black Futures Project. As a cultural activist, mentor and volunteer she advocates for writers and Black artists.

Vicki Adams Willis, Performing Arts: Dance  

Vicki Adams Willis has changed the face of jazz dance in Alberta and Canada. A co-founder nearly 40 years ago of Decidedly Jazz Danceworks (DJD), she is foremost a teacher and choreographer of more than 35 original productions. Jazz dance is a misunderstood art form. Born of African parents and of the Black American experience, Vicki Adams Willis acknowledges herself as a guest in this form and has demonstrated her deep understanding of, and utter respect for, the authentic roots and history of jazz through her research, teaching and choreography. She is recognized as a true leader in the world of jazz; an acclaimed ground-breaking choreographer who created one of the most unique jazz dance companies in the world, and the key person to ensure Calgary, Alberta as a viable dance centre for serious jazz artists. 

“These three ground-breaking women have offered important contributions to the arts in Canada. Their creativity has brought new light to their respective disciplines and created countless opportunities for us all to learn, grow and explore fresh ideas. Artists like this are essential to the vibrancy of our communities and we are truly fortunate to have them as cultural leaders in our province and country as a whole.” Her Honour, the Honourable Salma Lakhani, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta 

Ceremony

The awards patron, the Honourable Salma Lakhani Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, will present the awards at a celebration hosted by the Community of Lac La Biche and Portage College, Lac La Biche campus, at an awards event June 10 and 11, 2022. This celebration in 2022 will also include recognition of the 2022 Emerging Artists.

The 2021 Distinguished Artists were chosen from nominations received and reviewed by a jury of experts overseen by the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Jurors for the 2021 Distinguished Artist Awards were Mary-Beth Laviolette, visual arts curator and author; John Estacio, 2017 Distinguished Artist and JUNO nominated composer;  Seika Boye, scholar, writer, artist and Assistant Professor, University of Toronto, Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies; Jordan Abel, Nisga’a writer from Vancouver and Assistant Professor in the Department of English and Film Studies at the University of Alberta teaching Indigenous Literatures and Creative Writing.

On September 29, 2022, we marked the 50th Anniversary of the AFA Art Collection. As part of the celebrations, we are sharing snippets from the history of the collection. 
Learn more about the celebrations! 

By Erin McDonald, former Manager, Art Collection, and Gail Lint, Art Collections Consultant

The formative years of the AFA Art Collection were benefited from the generous donations of artworks from artists, collectors and benefactors. 

Donations were the stepping stones to building the collection in the first year – without them the collection may have faced a challenging time to establish its reputation and credibility!

A.Y. Jackson

In 1973, the AFA received an unprecedented donation of 18 drawings by illustrious Group of Seven artist A.Y. Jackson. Jackson spent time in Alberta documenting the landscape while visiting his cousin in the Lethbridge area.

A.Y. Jackson, Rolling Landscape with Ranch, 1940, pencil on paper

Later the same year another donor approached the Foundation with a gift of an A.Y. Jackson oil painting, Northland Tapestry. This work has been loaned to major institutions for numerous exhibitions:

A.Y. Jackson, Northland Tapestry, 1950, oil on board 

Arthur Lismer

Artwork by Arthur Lismer, another artist of Group of Seven fame, was gifted to the collection through a private estate. People may not realize that some of Canada’s most celebrated artists can be found in the holdings of the AFA's provincial art collection.

Arthur Lismer, High Glacier, c. 1926-1928, oil on board

Emily Carr

Another highlight of the  collection is acclaimed Canadian artist Emily Carr, represented by two artworks gifted in 1977 by a gallery owner in Eastern Canada. Without the "art of giving," these Canadian icons may never have found their way into the AFA Art Collection.

Emily Carr, Market by the Sea, Brittany, 1911, watercolour on paper

Throughout the years acquisition by donation has been one of the foundational building blocks to create a diverse, intrinsic and invaluable legacy collection. Alberta artists have contributed to the holdings with donations from their personal collections, including their own artworks and those of colleagues.

James and Marion Nicoll

Major donations from Calgary based artists James (Jim) and Marion Nicoll, during their days of productivity, and from their estate, increased the holdings by more than 400 artworks. They were considered instrumental in the development of the Alberta art scene, and influenced and mentored numerous artists who became key players in the province.

Unknown, James and Marion Nicoll, n.d., silver gelatin on paper

Their artistic styles were polar opposites! Jim focused on a traditional academic approach...

1981.155.002 James Nicoll, Home of Paint, n.d., oil and ink on canvas board

... which was contrasted by Marion’s eclectic exploration of modernist design and abstracted form.

Marion Nicoll, January, 1969, woodblock on paper

Illingworth Kerr

In 1978, a gift from Illingworth Kerr featured a suite of more than 50 drawings illustrating circus scenes and a journey to Africa. This was followed by an additional donation in 1982 and 1983 of lino cut print portfolios depicting fauna accompanied by the original lino blocks.

Illingworth Kerr, Magpies, Winter Sun, n.d., linocut on paper

Illingworth Kerr, Magpies Winter Sun, n.d., original lino block & synthetic floor tile,

R Gyo-Zo Spickett

A donation deserving honourable mention came to the AFA in 1993 from Calgary artist R Gyo-Zo Spickett (formerly known as Ron Spickett). A celebrated figure in the Alberta art scene, Spickett was also an educator and mentor at the Alberta University of the Arts (formerly known as the Alberta College of Art and Design) and the University of Calgary.

• Through his commitment to Zen Buddhism, the artist changed his name to Gzo-Spickett and eventually shifted his focus to music. At the time of this donation the artist had not painted since 1981, though he did return to his visual art practice in his later years.

Spickett held the AFA Art Collection in high regards and, although other institutions expressed interest in his artworks, he gave the AFA the first opportunity to make a selection. AFA staff visited the artist’s studio and recommended 24 paintings be accepted as a gift from the artist.

R. Gyo-Zo Spickett, Dream Painting, 1974, oil on canvas

In 2009, a major retrospective was on exhibit at the Univeristy of Calgary Nickle Galleries featuring artworks from public and private collections. A catalogue by the curator, Geoffrey Simmons, entitled Spirit Matters: Ron (Gyo-Zo) Spickett, Artist, Poet, Lay Priest was published to accompany the exhibition. The AFA loaned 33 artworks to the exhibit, the majority of them having been gifted to the foundation by the artist.

Artist upon artists...

Donations to the AFA Art Collection account for more than 26 per cent of our artworks in 2022. Significant donations have been received during the past 50 years, which has helped the AFA build the curatorial representation of some of the major artists in Alberta.

To name and credit all the donations to the AFA collection would require a year of blog posts! A few additional donations worthy of mention (but only a sampling of them) include:

• Janet Mitchell
• Graham Peacock
• Sveva Caetani
• Robert Chelmick
• Kay Angliss (Alberta Society of Artists Highlights Prints – a complete set)
• RFM McInnis
• Jacques Rioux
• George Webber (photographer)
• George Weber (printmaker)
• Ron Kostyniuk
• Sylvain Voyer
• Robert Scott
• Hazel Litzgus
• Greg Payce
• Don Wells
• Murray MacDonald
• Peter Hide
• Arlene Wasylynchuk (estate)
• John Clark (estate)
• Les Graff 
• ... and so many more!

Les Graff, Garden Things/Still Life, 2006, oil on canvas

The "art of giving" to the AFA collection has been an invaluable to building this treasured art collection. A sincere thank you to all the donors and benefactors – where would we be without you?

A new way to give

In June 2022, the AFA announced the new Arts Sector Donation Program. This program is designed to foster and contribute to the growth and development of the arts in Alberta by accepting cash donations from donors that wish to support AFA programs and services.

The AFA can accept cash donations from individuals, nonprofit organizations, public and private foundations registered as charities, and private sector organizations. Qualifying cash donations of $50 or more are eligible to receive an official donation receipt. 

On September 29, 2022, we marked the 50th Anniversary of the AFA Art Collection. As part of the celebrations, we are sharing snippets from the history of the collection.

Learn more about the celebrations! 

By Erin McDonald, former Manager, Art Collections

2015 was dubbed Canada’s Year of Craft.  It was a year which saw a significant increase in craft creation and related activities. Alberta was abounding with artists and galleries that specialized in the creation, sales and collection of fine craft media. 

With a number of unique artworks available, the Alberta Foundation of the Arts (AFA) had made the acquisition of fine craft media a priority for the AFA Art Collection. 

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The AFA was contacted in the summer of 2015 about something that might be of interest to them—a significant collection of ceramic works by Albertan artists. 

Joan and Tom Chapman, located in Red Deer, were in possession of large cache of ceramics that they had collected over the years and were seeking a suitable storehouse for the works. 

About the Chapmans

The Chapmans owned and operated Chapman Galleries (1974 – 1984) and Four Corners Gallery and Framing (1988 – 1998) in Red Deer, Alberta.

From the Resource Centre files, an original invitation to a Chapman Galleries exhibition

For two decades, Joan and Tom were at the heart of the resurgence of studio and design potteries which combined distinctly modernist approaches to art, with traditional forms and techniques. 

A fine craft resurgence in Alberta

This resurgence ushered in an era of brilliant artists that inspired and explored Alberta’s burgeoning studio pottery world. These included:

• Noboru Kubo
• John Chalke 
• Jane van Alderwegen
• Harlan House
• Charles Wissinger
• and many other talented artists

John Chalke, BASECAMP, n.d., ceramic, AFA Art Collection

Fit to print

During this time, the AFA Art Collection had also released a series of publications that accompanied travelling exhibitions to highlight the evolution of the mid-century ceramics movement in Alberta. 

These exhibitions travelled throughout province, with stops in places like Red Deer, Lethbridge, Edmonton, Calgary and Grande Prairie. 

Studio Ceramics in Alberta 1947-1952 (1981)

Early Albertan works and artists were identified as part of the nascent clay tradition that began post-World War II in, Studio Ceramics in Alberta 1947-1952 (1981).

The publication featured an interview with Luke Lindoe, and early works by Greg Arnold, Walter Drohan, and Lindoe himself. 

Studio Ceramics in Alberta II, 1953-1963 (1982)

The second publication, Studio Ceramics in Alberta II, 1953-1963 (1982), explored the emergence of the ceramics department at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology & Art, and the emergence of the Edmonton Potters’ Guild in 1953. 

The publication showcased artists like Sibyl Laubental, Vivian Lindoe, and Katie Ohe, and highlighted the strength of female artists in the medium.

Alberta Clay Comes of Age: Studio Ceramics in Alberta III

In 1984, the last in the series, Alberta Clay Comes of Age: Studio Ceramics in Alberta III, 1964-1984 was released.

The exhibition and catalogue featured emerging artists like Ed Drahanchuk, Annemarie Schmid Esler, and Tony Bloom who would ultimately become synonymous with the ceramics movement in Alberta. 

Annemarie Schmid Esler, PLATE, ABSTRACT BLACK AND WHITE, n.d. ceramic, AFA Art Collection

Seeking a home for art

When Joan Chapman retired, she and Tom retained a number of their favourite artworks in their own personal collection. In 2015, the Chapmans were ready to downsize their personal collection and wanted a proper home for the art.

In particular, they sought a public collection that would ensure that the ceramic arts of Alberta would be shared broadly. At the same time, the AFA was seeking fine craft media to acquire and possessed the ability to store and care for the works. Perfect partners. 

Hidden gems

The significance of the Chapman’s personal collection was discovered during a studio visit to the Chapman home in August 2015. 

Significant pieces by Albertans were found in the holdings. Many created during periods previously unrepresented in the AFA Art Collection: an abundance of mid- to late-century modern Alberta ceramics. Hidden gems.

Flute

Tony Bloom’s Flute was an incredibly exciting find that was offered by the Chapmans after the studio visit. 

Tony Bloom, FLUTE, ca. 1970-2, ceramic, AFA Art Collection

Found in a drawer, Flute was one of Bloom’s earliest explorations of ceramics. Having later examples of Tony’s work in the collection, Flute was an incredible addition to the holdings for the purpose of curatorial research and documenting an artist’s career.

Narrow Neck Vase

Works such as Toru Hasegawa’s Narrow Neck Vase were discovered. Works such as this can be used as a reference point to note stylistic changes in an artist's practice over time. 

Hasegawa’s previous works are from the same period, but are in the medium of stoneware and represent his exploration of more sculptural forms. Meanwhile, this functional vase shows his delicate application of colour, mimicking brush strokes of traditional Japanese-style painting. 

Toru Hasegawa, NARROW NECK VASE, 1968, ceramic, AFA Art Collection

This work highlights Hasegawa’s formal training from Kyoto Sakuge University before he moved to Hinton, Alberta in 1967 to study in the studio of Frank Kiyooka.

A donation for all Albertans

In December 2015, the AFA Board approved a motion to accept the generous donation from the Chapmans. There were 33 artworks added to the AFA Art Collection's holdings, including 23 ceramics.

These works tell the story of the incredible evolution of studio ceramics in Alberta, the significance of one small central gallery, and its connection with the AFA Art Collection four decades later.

Generous donors, like Joan and Tom Chapman, help the AFA to acquire historic and contemporary artwork that increases the value of the art collection as a legacy for the people of Alberta. 

Indigenous relation to the land in amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton) is the subject of a new artwork, Sipikiskisiw (Remembers Far Back) by Michelle Sound, which was coordinated by the Edmonton Arts Council and is currently being installed this week at the Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) shelter located at 10020-100 Street NW.

The transit shelter was recently renewed as the City of Edmonton works toward creating more safe, inclusive, and attractive public spaces for transit riders and the public.

Commissioned in 2022 under the City of Edmonton’s new Public Art Policy, the Edmonton Arts Council worked with three local Indigenous artists/curators to select an artist for this project. Edmonton Arts Council's Public Art Director David Turnbull said, “the new policy allows us to be flexible, responsive, and use curatorially-driven approaches to intentionally grow and develop a public art collection that is high quality, accessible, relevant, and representative of Edmonton’s diverse communities.” 

“We are pleased to partner with Edmonton Arts Council and artist Michelle Sound to display this Indigenous art – which tells a meaningful story of those who were here before Edmonton was a city – in our transit space,” said Carrie Hotton-MacDonald, Branch Manager of Edmonton Transit Service. “Supporting talented artists and displaying their beautiful works of art helps to create more vibrant transit spaces for everyone to enjoy, and this work adds to the inventory of public art and murals in transit spaces.”

Like Sound’s artwork often does, Sipikiskisiw (Remembers Far Back) explores her Cree and Métis identity from a personal experience rooted in family, place and history.

Her artwork for the ETS shelter uses torn copies of archival images of an Indian Affairs Papaschase reserve survey map from 1899 and a photograph taken prior to 1907 of Indigenous men and tipis on the grounds of Fort Edmonton. The artist then mended the torn imagery using embroidery thread, caribou tufting, porcupine quills and beadwork.

The rips in the images are meant to “show the colonial violence that Indigenous people have experienced, including residential schools, intergenerational trauma, loss of language, and displacement from our territories,” explains the artist.

The mending of the images doesn’t fully obscure the rips, shares Sound, just as “the loss, grief, longing, and memory cannot be fully mended and the resiliency required to survive colonialism is also messy and fragile. These losses can never be fully healed but we can process our histories and realities through art, culture and stories.”

In an article about the artwork, Emily Riddle – one of the curators of the project – writes that the land on which the ETS shelter now sits was an important outlook for Indigenous Peoples prior to the construction of downtown Edmonton. Said Riddle, “When the jury met, Michelle Sound was at the top of each of our lists of artists whose work we wanted to see in Edmonton...in stitching together these two archival records with threads, beads, rick rack and tufts, Michelle Sound asks us to imagine a restitched present while we are in transit. On the hill above the site of both these photos, we are very much embedded in this history and in the forever now of a Nehiyaw present.”
 

Title image credit: Photography by Heather Saitz.

Vivek Shraya’s How to Fail as a Popstar heads to CBC 

The theatrical one-person show, created by Albertan artist Vivek Shraya, will feature as an original series on CBC’s free streaming service, Gem. How to Fail as a Popstar is a comedic coming-of-age tale based on the artist’s life.

Shraya will write and star in the show, which will be filmed in Toronto and set for release later this year.

From stage to paperback to screen

The play was originally commissioned and produced by Canadian Stage in Toronto. Shraya’s play debuted in 2020 with a print edition of the script released in 2021. The show has appeared on several Canadian stages with upcoming tour dates in Quebec in February 2023 and played internationally in Ireland and Germany.

Multi-disciplinary artist

Shraya’s many talents are showcased in literature, music, film, visual art, theatre and fashion. The Edmonton-born artist has music featured in the HBO Max show Sort Of and her book, I’m Afraid of Men, was profiled in Vanity Fair.

Representation in the AFA Art Collection 

The AFA acquired Shraya’s work Trauma Clown in 2020, adding to our ever-growing and increasingly diverse collection.

Vivek Shraya  
Trauma Clown, 2019 
Photograph on paper 
Collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts

On September 29, 2022, we marked the 50th Anniversary of the AFA Art Collection. As part of the celebrations, we are sharing snippets from the history of the collection. 
Learn more about the celebrations! 

By Gail Lint, Arts Collections Consultant

In 2008 and 2009, the AFA supported a special curatorial initiative focused on building the holdings of the AFA Art Collection with contemporary Indigenous art. The initiative addressed the work of senior artists not properly represented in the collection, as well as a new generation of artists who are now making an impact.

For this initiative, artworks were acquired through a variety of sources. Curatorial assessment and recommendations by Indigenous artist Dr. Joane Cardinal-Schubert were an invaluable part of the process. Through Joane’s insight, wisdom and guidance, the artworks acquired have significantly enhanced the AFA's holdings.

Creating new relationships with Indigenous artists

Joane provided an avenue to acquire artworks by Indigenous artists unknown to the AFA Art Collection prior to 2008.

2008.085.001 Aaron Paquette, Aniti Anemos 2007, acrylic & gold leaf on canvas, AFA Art Collection

Through her mentoring and respected reputation in the art community she approached both established and emerging artists, conducting interviews and studio visits. She presented recommendations for curatorial acquisition into the AFA Art Collection.

Through the efforts of Joane, balanced by additional curatorial recommendations from the Collection’s Acquisition Working Group, the Indigenous curatorial initiative increased the AFA holdings by an incredible 73 artworks over a two-year period. 

2009.021.002 David Garneau, At the Fiddle Camp 2009, acrylic on canvas, AFA Art Collection

Narrative Quest exhibition

In celebration of Alberta Culture Days in September 2009, the AFA created an exhibtion of artworks by Indigenous artists entitled Narrative Quest. It was displayed in the gallery at the Capital Arts Building in Edmonton.

Curated by AFA Art Collections Consultant Gail Lint, Narrative Quest featured a selection of 60 artworks by 22 Indigenous artists from the AFA Art Collection, and included several of the artworks acquired through the Indigenous curatorial initiative.

2008.086.004 George Littlechild, Cross Cultural Examination #2 2007, ink jet print on paper,  AFA Art Collection

The exhibition combined a variety of traditional and contemporary styles in diverse media. The prevalent themes in these artworks are often based on storytelling.

These are stories that have been shared by the elders, stories of a search for understanding and meaning, stories of identity and belonging, and stories retold to preserve a threatened culture. They are stories immersed in the past, reflective of the present and hopeful for the future

The passing of Dr. Joane Cardinal-Schubert

On September 16, 2009 while installing the Narrative Quest exhibition in the Arts Branch gallery for the Alberta Culture Days celebration, word reached the staff that Joane Cardinal-Schubert had passed away.

2008.106.004 Joane Cardinal-Schubert, Flutterby (Birchbark Letter) 1998, mixed media on canvas, AFA Art Collection

Until that day, there had been no indication from Joane that she was ailing. She was determined to complete her curatorial contract and source artworks for the AFA Art Collection and, through her valiant commitment, she introduced new artists and assisted in building the representation of senior Indigenous artists.

The next day, during the official opening of the Narrative Quest exhibition, which was accompanied by a traditional smudge led by an Indigenous elder, there was a large raven sitting on top of the Capital Arts building above the location of the gallery. It was believed that Joane attended the ceremony in spirit.

The Narrative Quest exhibition was dedicated to the memory of Joane Cardinal-Schubert (1942 – 2009).

 “Let the next 
Generation 
be born 
with the knowledge 
of what has passed.”

(excerpt from the poem Keeper by Joane Cardinal-Schubert)

Narrative Quest on tour

Narrative Quest Exhibition (installation view) Capital Arts Gallery, Edmonton (Sept. 2009)

After the Culture Days exhibition at Capital Arts Building in 2009, Narrative Quest toured to:

• the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton
• the Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery (edited selection)
• the Museum of Contemporary Art in Calgary (edited selection)
• the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie

An edited selection of 32 artworks from the Narrative Quest exhibition then travelled to the Embassy of Canada, Prince Takamado Gallery in Tokyo, Japan (November 25, 2014 to February 27, 2015). It was met with critical acclaim.

Joane's ongoing legacy

In 2016, the National Gallery of Canada hosted a major retrospective exhibition featuring Alberta’s celebrated Indigenous artist from Cold Lake: Alex Janvier: Modern Indigenous Master (November 25, 2016 to April 17, 2017). 

Nine AFA artworks by Alex Janvier were included in the exhibition. Almost half of these artworks were acquired through recommendations by Dr. Joane Cardinal-Schubert.

2009.001.004 Alex Janvier, Untitled 2009, acrylic on canvas, AFA Art Collection

In 2017 the Nickle Galleries at the University of Calgary hosted a major retrospective of Dr. Joane Cardinal-Schubert: The Writing on the Wall. It was the first retrospective since her passing in 2009.

19 artworks from the AFA's holdings and an additional two artworks from the Government House collection were loaned for inclusion in the exhibition. An edited selection of these artworks toured to four other galleries across Canada until 2020.

1989.025.001 Joane Cardinal-Schubert, Moonlight Sonota: In the Beginning 1989, oil on canvas, AFA Art Collection

In part two of our look back at the tremendous impact Joane has had on the AFA Art Collection, we will take a look at the AFA's Fellowship for Indigenous Curators and the next generation of acquisitions by Indigenous artists. 

^{Image credit: Dr. Joane Cardinal-Schubert. Photo by JustinJHCSchubert (own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (Open license)], via Wikimedia Commons.
Image cropped and combined with photo of Becca Taylor for this web page, and the AFA's 50th Anniversary branding has been added.
Photo of Becca Taylor is by Katy Whitt Photography}

On September 29, 2022, we marked the 50th Anniversary of the AFA Art Collection. As part of the celebrations, we are sharing snippets from the history of the collection.

Learn more about the celebrations!

In part two of our look back at the impact Dr. Joane Cardinal-Schubert has had on the AFA Art Collection, we look at the Fellowship for Indigenous Curators and the next generation of acquisitions by Indigenous artists. Read part one. 

AFA creates the Dr. Joane Cardinal-Schubert Fellowship for Indigenous Curators

In 2018, the AFA announced a one-time fellowship designed to support the growth and development of curatorial talent and enhance representation of Indigenous artists in the AFA Art Collection. 

The project’s intention was to bring a new perspective to art acquisition at the AFA and build on previous work undertaken by the late Dr. Joane Cardinal-Schubert, who provided curatorial consultation to the AFA in 2008 and 2009. The fellowship was named in her honour. 

After a competitive application process, the AFA was pleased to announce that Becca Taylor was awarded Dr. Joane Cardinal-Schubert Fellowship for Indigenous Curators.

About Becca

Becca Taylor is a curator and multi-disciplinary artist with Cree, Scottish and Irish descent. According to her application, her curatorial practice involves investigations of Indigenous community building, Indigenous feminisms, methodologies of gathering and ephemera of living actions.

She was awarded the Aboriginal curator-in-residence, from the Canada Council in 2015, a 12-month residency at Urban Shaman gallery in Winnipeg where she curated Traces (2016.) In 2016-17 she was the Indigenous Curatorial Research Practicum at the Banff Centre, curating A light left on (2016.)

Notably, Becca co-curated the 4th iteration of La Biennale d’art contemporain autochtone (BACA) with Niki Little, entitled níchiwamiskwém | nimidet | my sister | ma sœur (2018), co-led land-based residency, Common Opulence (2018), in Northern Alberta and curated Mothering Spaces (2019) at the Mitchell Art Gallery.

Becca is the Executive Director of Ociciwan Contemporary Art Collective in Edmonton.

The project

Becca’s final report, Kahkekwask / From Here to There was completed in June 2019. It provided the AFA with a variety of recommendations to broaden the AFA Art Collection to represent more Indigenous artists and artworks through all acquisition programs, as well as to offer greater support for Indigenous artists, including through building relationships and trust with Indigenous communities. 

Since the report was completed, the AFA has acquired nearly fifty artworks by Indigenous artists through curatorial purchase, donation, and the Art Acquisition by Application program. Some highlighted artists and artworks include...

MJ Belcourt

2022.032.001 MJ Belcourt, First Fruits, n.d., smoked moose hide, glass seed beads, thread, fabric

MJ Belcourt is a certified Native Art Instructor, curator, and Indigenous artist residing in Treaty 6 territory. Her mixed Métis ancestry is Mohawk, Cree, and French with family ties to the Michel Band and the community of Lac St. Anne. Through a desire to build a closer connection and understanding of her Métis bloodline, Belcourt has remained naturally drawn to the traditional Indigenous arts of her ancestors.

She works in a variety of Indigenous art forms including beadwork, porcupine quill, fish scale, moose and caribou hair, and the art of creating natural dyes.

2022.032.002 MJ Belcourt, Pass System, n.d., smoked moose hide, glass seed beads, tin cones, thread

In 2022-23, the AFA acquired two artworks from MJ Belcourt: First Fruits and Pass System. Both are native tanned smoked moose hide pouches embellished with beading and other traditional decorative elements.

Lauren Crazybull

2019.035.002 Lauren Crazybull, Self Portrait, 2018, acrylic on board

Lauren Crazybull is a Niitsítapi (Member of Kainai First Nation), Dené artist. Lauren won the 2020 Eldon & Anne Foote prize, 2020 Lieutenant Governors Emerging Artist Award and was shortlisted for the Kingston Portrait Prize in 2019. In 2019, they were selected as the first Alberta Artist in Residence/Arts Ambassador. Lauren currently resides in Vancouver, having recently completed her MFA at Emily Carr University of Art + Design. 

In her work, Lauren considers Indigenous presence and multiplicity through paintings, creating worlds where honest portrayals trespass onto romantic representations of Indigeneity. Working primarily in portraiture, a long-standing genre that is often embedded with an imbalance of power between the artist/viewer and sitter, Lauren seeks to examine the relationship between herself as an artist and the individuals she paints. 

The AFA has acquired two artworks by Lauren Crazybull as of 2023.

Kablusiak

2021.017.001 Kablusiak, Piliutiyara (Saltwater Taffy), 2020, photograph with backlit film in lightbox

Kablusiak is a multidisciplinary Inuvialuk artist and curator who uses Inuk ingenuity to create work in a variety of mediums including, but not limited to, lingerie, white flour, soapstone, permanent marker, bed sheets, felt, acrylic paint, and words. Kablusiak holds a BFA in Drawing from the Alberta University of the Arts in Mohkinstsis, where they are currently based.

Their work explores the dis/connections between existence in the Inuitdiaspora while maintaining family and community ties, the impacts of colonization on Inuit gender and sexuality expressions, as well as on health and wellbeing, and the everyday.

2021.017.001 Kablusiak, Piliutiyara (Saltwater Taffy), 2020, photograph with backlit film in lightbox (alternate view)

In 2021, Kablusiak was part of a team of four Inuit curators who curated the inaugural exhibition for Qaumajuq, entitled INUA. In all of their creative work Kablusiak seeks to demystify Inuit art and create the space for Inuit-led representation of the diverse aspects of Inuit cultures.  

The AFA Art Collection holds 26 artworks by Kablusiak in 2023.

Dwayne Martineau

2021.013.001 Dwayne Martineau, Strange Jury #2, 2021, photograph on backlit film

Dwayne Martineau is an Edmonton based visual artist and musician. He is a treaty member of Frog Lake First Nation, descended from Plains Cree, Métis, and early French and Scottish settlers.

He enjoys seeing the world like a child full of discovery. Also, he approaches the world with a critical mind, seeking both truth and wonder. His visual arts practice began with experimental landscape photography, and has evolved to include videography and immersive large-scale art installations.

The AFA acquired Strange Jury #2 as part of the 2021 cycle of the Art Acquisition by Application program. This artwork is one of five artworks included in the Strange Jury Series. When installed in a gallery, five giant prints are hung in a circle off the ground to depict five characters of the forest with animistic faces.

Jessie Ray Short

2019.039.001 Jessie Ray Short, WAKE UP!, 2019, experimental film, 5:57 mins

Jessie Ray Short is an artist, filmmaker and independent curator of Métis, Ukranian and German descent whose cross-disciplinary practice involves memory, visual culture and Métis history.

She has shown her work nationally and internationally, including at the Banff Centre for the Arts, Agnes Etherington Art Centre in Kingston, at La Chambre Blanche in Québec City, Art Mûr Berlin (a satellite exhibition of the Contemporary Native Art Biennial/BACA) in Germany, and at the Wairoa Maori Film Festival in New Zealand.

As a curator, she has had the opportunity to work on various projects most notably Jade Carpenter: Mourn at City of Calgary Open Spaces Gallery and Mixed Berries: Amanda Strong and Bracken Hanuse Corlett at Gallery 2, Grand Forks, BC. She has worked for the Ociciwan Contemporary Art Collective, based in Edmonton, and for TRUCK Contemporary Art in Calgary.

WAKE UP! is an example of media artwork included in the AFA Art Collection. In the film, a Métis woman explores identity by transforming herself into one of the only widely known Métis icons, a man named Louis Riel, who lived over 100 years ago.

Read Becca Taylor's 2018 curatorial statement for the fellowship:

Alberta has an expansive and diverse Indigenous community living in and outside of it.  The changing landscapes within Alberta have different pieces of knowledge and teachings reflecting across the terrains; with different Indigenous groups living either in rural or urban settings, or both, whose lived experiences are reflected within their work. Some artists have formal institutional education, some with education from the land and our ancestors; but we all have an inherent perspective and embodied knowledge of what it means to be an Indigenous person living in Alberta.

For the next 6-months, my curatorial research will be based on my teachings of the medicine wheel. Looking at artists from the different quadrants of Alberta, as well as, a range of professional experience within each quadrant, from emerging to established artists; learning from and listening to the different perspectives and insights from different regions, nations, ages and experiences.

I view this research project to be as informed and diverse as possible to reflect the extraordinary past, present and future of Indigenous contemporary art in Alberta. Through conversation and travel, I anticipate meeting many more artists whom I do not know at this moment. Using my resources and community in Alberta to expand my knowledge of artists working here and those who have lived here and made an impact while doing so.

Continuing legacy

Through the foundational work provided by Dr. Joane Cardinal-Schubert, built upon by Becca Taylor, and through continuing engagement with Indigenous artists, Elders and communities of practice, the AFA is pleased to continue to increase representation of Indigenous art in the AFA Art Collection.

See our current holdings of Indigenous artworks through the AFA Virtual Museum. 

On September 29, 2022, we marked the 50th Anniversary of the AFA Art Collection. As part of the celebrations, we are sharing snippets from the history of the collection. Learn more about the celebrations! 

By Gail Lint and Kristin Stoesz, Art Collections Consultants

From High Level in the North, to the Milk River in the South, and virtually everywhere in between, the AFA's Travelling Exhibition Program (TREX) works to bring Albertan art to all corners of the province, one crate at a time.

False start?

In the early days of the program (1972), the Department of Youth, Culture, and Recreation offered travelling exhibitions to Albertan communities with the intent of developing the visual arts in Alberta. The program ended around the same time the Edmonton Art Gallery (now the Art Gallery of Alberta) began offering regional exhibitions.

The gallery initially circulated exhibitions to northern Alberta but later they expanded the program through the Southern Alberta Art Gallery (SAAG) to other parts of the province.  Facing budget cuts in the mid 1980s, the Edmonton Art Gallery terminated the travelling exhibition program in favour of its in-house programs.

Opportunity knocks

Image from 1985-1986 Alberta Art Foundation (AAF) Annual Report

Seeing an opportunity to resurrect the travelling exhibition program in 1980, the Alberta Art Foundation (AAF) developed a “Caravan Exhibition Program” to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the province.

• the AAF was one of three government foundations that were amalgamated to form the AFA in 1991

There were four exhibitions developed, one featuring works from the AAF's collection and three using works from other public and private collections. Exhibitions were showcased in refurbished truck trailer “galleries” and were circulated by the Glenbow Museum in Calgary. 

When the year of celebration finished, the AAF opted to continue circulating the exhibitions while developing new exhibitions using its art collection. 

Image from 1979-1980 AAF Annual Report

Rocky road

In 1987, due to budget and staff reductions, the AAF decided to contract the program out to galleries, allowing an expansion of the types of exhibitions offered to communities. 

The TREX Program format as it operates today started with the Edmonton Art Gallery creating exhibitions and coordinating the program, and the Prairie Art Gallery, the Muttart Gallery (later to become the Art Gallery of Calgary), and the Southern Alberta Art Gallery contracted to create exhibitions.

Unfortunately, the first attempts to coordinate were rocky. Extended periods between staff appointments, delays in exhibition development, and problems with the regional exchange of exhibitions left the program in limbo.

Image from 1987-1988 AAF Annual Report

Renewal

With the TREX contract up for renewal in 1995, the newly formed Alberta Foundation for the Arts revamped the program and took on the role of provincial coordinator.

In 1997 a call for tenders was sent to all public and institutional galleries as well as all provincial visual arts organizations. The proposals were reviewed by the AFA’s Art Collections Committee with the assistance of an independent consultant. 

The Board approved four, three-year contracts to the Prairie Art Gallery in Zone 1, Harcourt House Art Centre in Zone 2, The Art Gallery of Calgary in Zone 3 and the Medicine Hat Museum and Art Gallery in Zone 4. 

Beginning in 1998, Metro Media (Metro Cinema) was contracted to offer a provincial touring program of Alberta media arts. This later developed into the Prairie Tales film series until the media arts program was transferred out of TREX in 2014.

Image from 1979-1980 AAF Annual Report

Modern TREX

In 2000, a call for tenders was again released to the public and the contract for TREX  Zone 1 was awarded to the Prairie Art Gallery (now the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie), Zone 2 was awarded to the Edmonton Art Gallery (now the Art Gallery of Alberta), Zone 3 to the Art Gallery of Calgary (now Contemporary Calgary), and Zone 4 to the Medicine Hat Museum and Art Gallery (now the Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre). 

In January of 2002, the Art Gallery of Calgary requested that they be released from the balance of their contract, as its board felt that the program no longer fit into their gallery’s mandate. Based on the jury recommendations from the last call for tenders, the AFA offered the Alberta Society of Artists the opportunity to take over the balance of the contract for Zone 3.

These four regional organizations continue to coordinate the program to this day:

• The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie - Northwest Alberta
• Art Gallery of Alberta - Northeast and North Central Alberta
• Alberta Society of Artists - Southwest Alberta
• Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre - Southeast Alberta

2016 TREX Art Exhibit Opening: Dreaming With My 'Great Mother'... from Region 2, Art Gallery of Alberta

50th Anniversary exhibitions

The AFA is pleased to have worked with its Travelling Exhibitions (TREX) partners to support the curation of special 50th Anniversary themed exhibitions, which will tour across Alberta until 2025.

• TREX Southwest (Alberta Society of Artists) – “Montageries”
• TREX Southeast (Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre) – “Party On!”

Find out whether an AFA Travelling Exhibition is in your community by connecting with our regional TREX providers. 

Looking forward

Having toured the province for decades in its many incarnations, TREX has become an integral part of the culture of the province. The AFA  continues to facilitate growth and change in TREX to respond to the needs of our communities.

We have art and will travel, who knows where we will go next!

See how the AFA cares for an exquisite new acquisition by Métis Cree visual artist, Sharon Rose Kootenay, and the different steps we take to document, catalogue and preserve her work for the benefit of all Albertans.

The artworks in the AFA Art Collection mean so much to the artists, to the staff that work with them, and to the many, many Albertans who have an opportunity to view them through exhibitions, art placement programs, or even online in our Virtual Museum.

Watch:

50th Anniversary of the AFA Art Collection

Established in 1972, the AFA Art Collection is a unique representation of the history, development and achievements of Alberta's visual arts community. Today, the AFA is proud to manage one of the strongest, most active provincial art collections in Canada.

On September 29, 2022, the AFA began celebration for the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of the AFA Art Collection. Learn more about how we are celebrating throughout 2022 and 2023.

We are proud to diligently care and work with each of our more than 9,000 artworks in Alberta's public art collection. This is the second episode of a five-part series about the AFA Art Collection.

• Watch episode 1 of the series, Building a Collection, on YouTube

Videos produced by Hidden Story Productions.

To celebrate 25 years of the AFA, we’re taking a look back at how we came to be, favourite milestones, and some of the amazing artists we’ve encountered along the way. 

By Erin McDonald, Manager, Art Collections

National Gallery of Canada via Wikimedia Commons

For many Canadian visual artists, having works exhibited in public galleries is a significant achievement – an affirmation of their artistic vision, public recognition, and a door to more opportunity. Thus, a solo retrospective exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada (NGC) may well represent the peak of a period of an artist’s career. For two Albertan artists, this is certainly true.

Calgary-based Chris Cran and Cold Lake’s Alex Janvier each have noteworthy, full-career retrospective shows coming up at the NGC, Canada’s premiere public collection of historic and contemporary visual art.

More important than the simple fact that two Alberta artists are being recognized is the fact that they are the first Alberta contemporary artist and the first Alberta aboriginal artist to receive solo retrospective exhibitions in the Gallery’s nearly 140 year history. Artworks from the AFA’s Art Collection are some of the featured treasures within both shows.

In the national collection that houses significant and notable works by legends including Dali, Rembrandt, Rodin and Canada’s own Thomson and Colville, Cran and Janvier take centre stage and shine brightly as two of Alberta’s most talented artists.

Sincerely Yours

The exhibition title is as tongue-in-cheek as most of Cran’s original artwork; his playful, humorous and inventive takes on still life, portraiture, landscape and abstraction. His work is known for “challenging perception and understanding of major movements such as Pop Art, Op Art, Modernist Abstraction and Photorealism. Cran playfully combines art history with imagery borrowed from popular culture.” (via the National Gallery)

Curated collaboratively between the Art Gallery of Alberta and the NGC, the exhibition wowed audiences in Edmonton in the fall of 2015, and then travelled to Ottawa for a May 2016 opening. The retrospective, on display until Labour Day 2016, is the most comprehensive exhibition on Cran ever produced. It spans 40 years and 100 artworks: 4 belonging to the AFA art collection, including the quirky portrait Family from The Self Portrait Series.

1988.052.001 Chris Cran Family, 1987, oil on canvas, AFA Collection

Cran has continued to explore the very nature of painting itself, through his varied series’ of work, incorporating digital technology, abstraction and many layers of meaning. In The Metaphysics of Admiration, Cran incorporates homage to the pixelated pop art of Lichtenstein, the frame from his own Framing Device Paintings, and a perhaps as nod to both his early self-portrait series and his own self-awareness: his own image is reflected in the mirror.

2003.036.001 Chris Cran, The Metaphysics of Admiration, 2002, oil, acrylic on canvas, AFA collection

Alex Janvier

A founding member of the original “Indian Group of Seven”, Alex Janvier is known as one of Alberta’s most significant artists. As both a visual artist and advocate, Janvier introduced contemporary aboriginal art to the Canadian art world in the 1970s.

A survivor of the Blue Quill Residential Indian School, Janvier is both prolific and poignant. Janvier created for himself a unique style, featuring clear influences of modernist abstraction merged with the rich cultural and spiritual traditions from his indigenous heritage. Janvier’s work is easily identified.

1975.014.001 Alex Janvier The Sky Begins, 1974 acrylic on canvas, AFA Collection

As an artist, Janvier has had a long and very successful career, including his role as an in-demand artist for high-profile public art commissions. From his very first public art commission at the Muttart Conservatory in Edmonton, to his 450m² masterpiece entitled Morning Star in the dome of the Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of History, Janvier is treasured for his distinctive curved lines and use of bright, and often symbolic, colour. To his name, Janvier has seven public murals across the country, including Iron Foot Place, a nearly 14m diameter circular mosaic to be set in the floor of the Winter Garden for the new Rogers Place (Edmonton).

Admitted to the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts in 1992, Janvier is a true pioneer for aboriginal artists in Canada. He paved the way for generations of indigenous artists by breaking down barriers and eschewing stereotypes of what it means to be aboriginal and an abstract painter. Throughout his career, he has made significant contributions to Indigenous visual culture: as an art instructor, a cultural adviser, and as a member of the Indian Group of Seven.

Following three major retrospectives of indigenous Canadian artists, Norval Morrisseau (2006), Daphne Odjig (2009), and Carl Beam (2010), Alex Janvier’s work will take centre stage in the National Gallery of Canada in late 2016. The exhibition brings together more than 75 of Janvier’s most impressive works from early in his career in the 1960s to present. Celebrating Janvier’s unique approach, works on paper, canvas, and linen will show off his range of elegant abstractions.

 A total of nine artworks from the AFA collection holdings are being prepared for transport to Ottawa for the show. These include some of Janvier’s most well-executed abstract works, along with one of his most representational works, Apple Factory (1989). Apple Factory is a stark and poignant statement on the effect of residential schools on generations of indigenous children in Canada.

1989.123.001 Alex Janvier Apple Factory, 1989 acrylic on canvas, AFA Collection

The AFA is proud to support many Alberta visual artists by lending our holdings to other institutions; in 2016 we are committed to at least fourteen exhibitions with our partners, including the National Gallery.