Vandals attack environmental art and strengthen its statement

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Who is vandalizing Joane Cardinal-Shubert's sculpture?

Whether it is the work of another artist, a group of people with a message or just a gang of delinquents is not known, but those responsible are certainly persistent.

Six times within the last three months vandals have attacked the art work entitled Abandoned Camp ? Keeper of the Culture, an environmental sculpture by Red Deer-born artist Joane Cardinal-Shubert, which stands in front of the Muttart Gallery. And with each new attack, they go just a little bit further, says Cardinal-Shubert.

"The first time two poles at the end of the sculpture were removed from the ground, and the holes filed in," said Cardinal-Shubert. "The poles were laid on the ground head to foot. Nothing else was touched."

The sculpture takes up the entire front grounds of the Muttart Gallery, each half being a mirror image.

The left side is the image of a healthy culture, explains Cardinal-Shubert. Lodgepole pine poles form a tipi with four additional tall poles erected to represent the four directions; north, east, west and south.

Cardinal-Shubert notes the poles are tall, straight and peeled as a sign of life and vitality.

The right side, a mirror image, but one of suffering and despair. The poles are shorter, stunted and unpeeled. And running down the center of the sculpture, are twelve six feet tall Lodgepole pine poles with heads and war shirts, each representing a keeper of the culture.

"They represent what once was, what is and what is to be," said Cardinal-Shubert.

And they are what have been the target of numerous attacks, the most destructive occurring in late December.

"The war shirts were slashed, the binder twine hair as well as the posts were set on fire, and the heads were taken away," said Cardinal-Shubert. "After the first occurance, I thought maybe it was just another artist fooling around. But it got progressively worse."

After repairing the damage from the first attack, Cardinal-Shubert decided to leave the work of the vandals for the public to see "because the vandalism was making more of a statement than I was making," said Cardinal-Shubert. "But now it's gotten too far and I have decided to repair it as often as it is attacked. I'm going to interact with whoever is doing this."

Interaction is basically what Cardinal-Shubert is attempting to do with her sculpture because her work is about communication and man's interaction with each other and with nature. "After all, we're just little people that are creatures of the earth," she said.

To communicate her message, Cardinal-Shubert dressed the Keepers in war shirts. The shirts are made of plastic carpet runners, with the points facing out, symbolizing our occasional dislike for the Keepers.

On the inner surface of the clear shirts are newspaper clippings. Youth shot in stomach, Buffy Ste. Marie sings for Lubicon cause, and Banff sludge pollutes Bow, scream out to the viewer.

The Keepers, six in front and six behind, have their backs towards the cenotaph.

"The cenotaph is symbolic for those who fought for this country, but it also represents a group of people seeming to fight against the indigenous people," explains Cardinal-Shubert.

"I think indigenous people have always been positive, they have always turned the other cheek. But there comes a time when you have to stand for what you believe in."

And that, too, is what Cardinal-Shubert's sculpture is stating.

"It's about what happened to me, to Indian people and to the Lubicons," said Cardinal-Shubert.

"The Lubicons are the keepers of their culture. They want to hold onto their culture and their land base."

And perhaps that is what the attackers of Abandoned Camp are also doing.

"In one sense, it is positive that there is this interaction," said Cardinal-Shubert of the spite of attacks. "At least it's not being ignored."