Inspirational stories about the Saskatchewan arts community.
With the help of an Artists in Schools grant, Wadena Elementary School invited Elders and artists from nearby Fishing Lake First Nation, where a number of their students live, to share traditional teachings.
A learning opportunity created in Saskatchewan went national this fall. For the first time, teachers from across Canada were invited to sign up their Grades 3-8 classes for a series of LIVE Arts broadcasts as part of Canada’s 150 celebrations. These curriculum-based lessons featured Indigenous artists living in Saskatchewan and collaborators from other regions and focused on the topics of resilience, respect and reconciliation.
There is a shortage of Indigenous editors in Canada and few non-Indigenous editors with the knowledge and cultural sensitivity to address the complex issues that arise in publishing Indigenous manuscripts. The Indigenous Editors Circle and Editing Indigenous Manuscripts programs aim to address these issues.
AKA Artist Run is located in the heart Saskatoon’s core neighbourhood of Riversdale. The area has a diverse and culturally rich community but faces pressures from gentrification and challenges related to food security. AKA’s Locals Only project responds to these critical issues by partnering with CHEP Good Food Inc. on a mobile service truck.
Air Ronge artist Donna Langhorne is not one to shy away from difficult topics. Her recent body of work, a series of seven large paintings, addresses contemporary issues facing Indigenous peoples. Topics include addiction, missing and murdered Indigenous women and residential school experiences.
The Saskatchewan Arts Board’s Permanent Collection has grown by three artworks, thanks to the generosity of patrons of the opening reception of Art Now 2017, the Saskatchewan Fine Art Fair, presented by SaskGalleries.
Wally Dion’s Star Blanket has put on a lot of kilometres since it was purchased by the Saskatchewan Arts Board for its Permanent Collection in 2006. The unique piece, a First Nations star blanket fashioned from computer circuit boards, has been loaned to numerous galleries across Saskatchewan and Canada.
Kaley Evans has been an avid collector of vinyl records for more than a decade. Recently, he has turned his attention to the vast number of homemade-style recordings produced in Saskatchewan. Evans received an Independent Artists grant to complete interviews and research for an archival compilation album of Saskatchewan music covering the mid-1960s to late-1970s. The album will be the first of its kind.
Saskatoon actor Anna Mazurik received a scholarship from the Arts Board to follow her dream.
Eleanor Cook brought together peopline in the community of Cumberland House Cree Nation through traditional Indigenous beadwork and quilt-making classes.