Artist’s “vision” finds worthy home

After winning a prestigious contest, work by Metis artist Angela Hall is displayed on the wall of the Confederacy of Treaty 6 board room in Edmonton.

But Hall is humble about being one of two winners selected to have their art presented on Treaty 6 Recognition Day.

“I am only a tool for something that is far more important than my wants and desires, like the message in the painting and poem that was gifted to Grand Chief Tony Alexis,” said Hall.

The piece, entitled “A New Vision,” was created in 2009.

Caption: Treaty 6 Grand Chief Tony Alexis and Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson with artist Angela Hall’s “A New Vision.”
(Photo: Shari Narine)

“I remember looking at my clock and it read 2:22 in the morning. I laid there sensing, what stood before me? Then with complete clarity I knew that they were my Aboriginal ancestors.  They stood waiting for me to rise and write down what they wanted to say. I laid there and again looked at the clock. It was now 3:33. I grabbed a pen and sat in my living room. Powerful emotions ran through me and I wept deeply as I
wrote. Afterwards, I read the words that came through me. The poem was titled, A New Vision.  Shortly after this
event, I began to visualize the painting that went with it. I did my best to create this piece,” she said.

Over the years, Hall has wondered where that art piece would go. When it was presented to Alexis, she felt fulfilled. 

“To witness “A New Vision” finally going to a symbol of Aboriginal freedom and power … I felt I had completed what my ancestors asked from me (that night),” she said.

It has been a difficult journey for Hall. Having grown up in foster care, she empathizes with the residential school experience of missing her parents. She has felt both joy and loss, and she believes that experience has made her a
compassionate person.

Six years ago, Hall attended a workshop held by an Irish mystic.

“It was revealed my life’s purpose was to paint. Also, in that workshop I learned how to tap into a high divine energy and began to have a strong connection to the unseen,” she said.

Through her art, Hall has found the power to heal. But she has also learned that healing must come from within.

“All my paintings have deep meaning and connection for me,” she said.

Hall does what she calls “soul painting” for individuals and also has two pieces of art hanging in Parkland County office. She lives in Stony Plain with her two boys, aged 12 and 16. She is a Grade 6 teacher at Our Lady of Peace school in west Edmonton. She has been teaching for 20 years.

In the months leading up to Treaty 6 Recognition Day, the City of Edmonton held an art contest in which two different pieces of work were selected to be gifted to the mayor and Grand Chief. Marie Claire French’s “Walk a mile in my moccasins” was the other winner. Her pair of moccasins, meant to show the personal journey on the path to truth and reconciliation, were presented to Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson.