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June 2010 index
OUR CULTURE Government of Canada invests in showcase of Aboriginal art and culture in Whitehorse NS website officially launched Government of Canada invests in showcase of Aboriginal art and culture in Whitehorse On behalf of the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, Senator Daniel Lang announced on May 18th, funding for the Skookum Jim Friendship Centre. With this assistance, the Centre will present the 2011 Skookum Jim Folklore Show from February 3 to 6, 2011. The festival will feature emerging and established Aboriginal artists from Canada and the Yukon, in diverse musical genres and cultural traditions including choral music, Metis fiddle, Aboriginal roots music, and dance. Outreach activities will include a workshop in traditional Metis fiddle given to the community members. “The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of supporting arts and culture in the Yukon,” said Minister Moore. “The Skookum Jim Friendship Centre is continuing to provide opportunities for cultural growth and increasing the area’s vibrant artistic scene.” “I am pleased that our Government has provided funding for the Skookum Jim Folklore Show,” said Senator Lang. “By supporting festivals such as this one, we are creating an environment in which culture and art are showcased and can enrich the lives of our residents.” “The Skookum Jim Friendship Centre would like to thank Canadian Heritage for its contributions to the Annual Folklore Show,” said Kym Barrett, Recreation Coordinator for the Skookum Jim Friendship Centre. “The festival brings together both rural and urban audiences by offering a fun-filled evening of traditional dance, storytelling, hoop dancing, comedy, and other forms of entertainment.” Built in 1962, the Skookum Jim Friendship Centre aims to enhance the spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical well-being of First Nations peoples by offering a variety of programs, including recreation and leisure. The recreation and leisure program presents opportunities for healthy and active lifestyles among urban Aboriginal communities. The Government of Canada has provided $6,000 through the Canada Arts Presentation Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage. This program gives Canadians increased access to the variety and richness of Canada’s culture through professional arts festivals, presentations of live professional performances, and other artistic experiences. Following a whirlwind of 2010 Olympic activity, Tsimshian artist Bill Helin continues to break new ground. Bill’s 12-metre war canoe, Ravensong, carved from a 540-year-old cedar tree from the Stikine Valley, was the centerpiece of the the Klahow-ya Village at the Pan Pacific Hotel during the 2010 Olympics. The Klahow-ya exhibit was organized by the Aboriginal Tourism Association of British Columbia. An article in the Vancouver Sun quoted Bill commenting at the time that “The beauty of the canoe is it has always been a family affair. We repainted it [for its journey to the 2010 Olympics], and the whole family kicked in to help. It was wonderful to see my mom with her grandchildren working on the canoe.” For some reason, the sight of moving the canoe into the Pan Pacific Hotel caught international press attention and stories and photos of the event went viral in the global media. Earlier in May of this year Canadian astronaut Dr. Robert Thirsk and Danish Cosmonaut Frank Dewinna visited the Nanaimo museum. At this event Bill was acknowledged for designing the second crew patch for Dr. Thirsk. This followed the STS-78 Columbia Space Shuttle Crew patch that Bill was commissioned to design in 1996. Recently Bill was named the Vancouver Board of Trade’s Tsimshian artist-in-residence – a post with a three year term. The Board of Trade is one of the largest business organizations in B.C. with over 100 years of history. One of Bill’s very first honours for the Board was to carve the walking stick for recent visit of former American President Bill Clinton. Canada Council for the Arts promotes Aboriginal curators and Canadian artists at the 2010 Sydney Biennale Six Canadian Aboriginal curators will share their knowledge of contemporary Canadian and international Aboriginal art practices at the 17th Biennale of Sydney, Australia in May 2010, where the largest contingent of Canadian artists has been invited to exhibit their latest works. The Canada Council initiative provides travel support and is designed to expand the international careers of Canadian Aboriginal curators, raise the profile of Canadian Aboriginal artists, build international relationships and develop potential partners for future exhibition opportunities. The curatorial delegation includes: Candice Hopkins (Ottawa), Catherine Mattes (Shilo, Manitoba), David Garneau (Regina), Michelle LaVallee (Regina), Patricia Deadman (Woodstock, Ontario) and Tania Willard (Vancouver). Before heading to the Sydney Biennale, the curators will visit some of New Zealand’s major art galleries and Maori art centers, including Te Papa Tongarewa (Museum of New Zealand) and Toi Maori Aotearoa in Wellington and the Pataka Museum of Arts and Culture in Porirua City. In Rotorua, they will meet with officials at the Te Puia Arts Centre followed by visits to the Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland Triennale, Fresh Gallery Otara and Manukau Arts Collective. The delegation then travels to Sydney to take in the 17th Sydney Biennale, where they will attend all major openings, participate in an International Indigenous Symposium and co-host – with the Canadian Consulate in Sydney – a dinner for Canadian artists and Australian Aboriginal curators who will be at the Biennale. With the attendance of nine artists, this year’s representation at the Biennale is the largest-ever. Those invited by artistic director David Elliott are: Aboriginal artists Dana Claxton (Vancouver), Beau Dick (Alert Bay, BC), Kent Monkman (Toronto), Marianne Nicolson (Victoria), Annie Pootoogook (Cape Dorset) and Skeena Reece (Vancouver) in addition to well-known Rodney Graham (Vancouver), Alex Morrison (Vancouver) and Althea Thauberger (Vancouver). “It has been a particularly rich year for showcasing and presenting Canadian talent,” said Doug Sigurdson, Head of Visual Arts at the Canada Council. “Our artists and curators are able to establish a strong presence at major international events, and there is a mounting interest in those Canadian practices that are informed by an Aboriginal identity. It is our job to support these artists and curators at this pivotal time in their careers.” Travel expenses and per diem for 19 days were awarded to the six Aboriginal curators by the Canada Council. This is the third year of a four-year initiative to introduce Canadian Aboriginal curators to international biennale events and potential collaborators. NS website officially launched Visitors, vendors, volunteers and participants to the powwow can now visit www.Membertou400.com for more information on the celebrations taking place from June 24 to 27 to mark the 400th anniversary of the baptism of Grand Chief Henri Membertou. On the website you will find explanations on how to apply for a license vendor or register as a volunteer. You’ll find the list of prizes to be awarded and the current special rates at hotels for the thousands of people are expected at the largest gathering of First Nations peoples to be held in Atlantic Canada. The celebration of the 400th anniversary of the baptism of Grand Chief Membertou begin June 24 National Historic Site of Canada in Port-Royal with an outdoor mass baptism and a reconstruction of history. The celebrations will continue on the ground of the Commons in Halifax June 25 to 27 during one of the largest powwows in the country, or “mawio’mi” Mi’kmaw language. The celebration of the 400th anniversary of the baptism of Membertou Mi’kmaw include an authentic village where visitors can interact with artists and craftspeople, discover the traditional healing, enjoy the cuisine and listen to Aboriginal Elders tell the story their people, transmitted orally. Admission is free. Among other highlights, there are dance competitions and drumming featuring First Nations artists from across Canada and the United States and a concert by Canadian superstar and Oscar winner, Buffy Sainte-Marie. The website Membertou 400 is also an important source of information on the Grand Chief Membertou and the history and culture of the people Mi’kmaw. Grand Chief Henri Membertou was a shaman and prophet Mi’kmaw. On June 24, 1610, he became the first Aboriginal person to be baptized in this country that would become Canada, noting the gesture by the people’s desire to live in peace Mi’kmaw with European nations. |
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