Description
Honouring Tradition: Reframing Native Art is an exhibition catalogue accompanying the Glenbow Museum's art exhibition that opened in February 2008. The catalogue celebrates the range and complexity of First Nations art of the past and present by combining museum artifacts with contemporary art pieces. The museum's collection showcases pieces that were collected from the First Nations of the northern Plains and Subarctic culture regions. These include children's moccasins, coats, a girl's jingle dress, a woman's saddle, men's shirts, pipe bags, and a pictograph robe. These pieces represent the cultural traditions of the Gwich'in, Tutchone, Dehcho, Ojibwe, Saulteaux, Cree, Blackfoot, Dunne-za, Blood, and Tsuu T'ina First Nations. The works of contemporary Plains artists include sculptures, photographs, paintings and mixed media works. Artists include Alex Janvier, Jane Ash Poitras, Bob Boyer, Allen Sapp, Faye Heavyshield, Joane Cardinal-Schubert, George Littlechild, Gerald McMaster, Angelique Merasty Levac, Terrance House, Adrian Stinson, Gerald Tailfeathers, and Koletta Kim Saddleback. This 150-page catalogue features 65 full-colour photographs of the historical and contemporary pieces. What makes this catalogue appealing and accessible is the use of artist's statements that accompany the images. These allow readers to connect to the cultural continuity of each of the pieces. Catalogue contributors include Beth Carter, Gerald T. Conaty, Mekwun Awisi (Joe Deschamps), Rosie Firth, Quyen Hoang, Allan Pard, and Frederick R. McDonald.