Albertan welcomes art gallery director position

Amber-Dawn Bear Robe is delighted to have been chosen the successful candidate to fill the position of director at Winnipeg’s Urban Shaman Aboriginal art gallery.

A member of the Siksika First Nation, Bear Robe began preparing for her current role many years ago when she completed an undergraduate degree in fine arts at the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary. She continued her educational experiences by earning a master of arts degree in American Indian Studies from the University of Arizona, and is currently completing her second masters, this time in art history, from the same institution, with a focus on photographic history and contemporary Native North American arts. She has interned at museums such as the Tucson Museum of Art, the University of British Columbia’s Museum of Anthropology and the Glenbow Museum.

“I am still completing my thesis, but when this job came along I just had to apply. It’s exactly what I’ve been working towards,” said Bear Robe, adding that she had the support of her graduate committee in her quest.

As a youngster, Bear Robe already showed an interest in art, and today enjoys painting in different media, exploring both contemporary and traditional themes.

She arrived at her new post in February. The move was a huge transition, but Bear Robe found both Winnipeg and the gallery welcoming. And with so many exciting projects to look forward to, she is happily settling in.

“As well, there’s a large Aboriginal population in this beautiful city, and I’ve fallen in love with it,” Bear Robe added.

Urban Shaman is an artist-run centre which presents cutting edge Aboriginal art and provides an outlet for artistic expression in all disciplines, cultivating Indigenous artwork. It was founded in 1996 to give the ever-expanding Aboriginal population in Winnipeg a venue for visual exhibits, as well as educational and community needs.

“There have been excellent directors here before me so I’m humbled to follow in their footsteps,” said Bear Robe. Steve Loft headed the organization before moving on to the National Gallery of Canada in 2007. “I have big shoes to fill,” she said.

In the future she hopes to feature the contemporary and traditional art forms side-by-side.

“The goal is to blur any distinctions. Urban Shaman is always pushing the boundaries in terms of being innovative and Aboriginal art is never just one category, so we will continue to showcase all forms,” said Bear Robe.

Artists are diverse, depending on their everyday lives, their educational backgrounds, the influences on their artwork, and so should the exhibition of works at the gallery. The current exhibition is entitled Reserve(D) and is a photo-based display by Kevin Lee Burton and Caroline Monnet featuring Aboriginal communities.

“Urban Shaman represents the changing, shifting world in which we live,” said Bear Robe. “We welcome visitors as well as portfolios from new artists from anywhere in Canada.”