Schools cozy up to artist

Page 4

Moses Amik, known outside his community also as Moses Beaver, is becoming as well known for his school workshops both on- and off-reserve as he is for the paintings that hang in the GrannArt Centre for the Arts in Thunder Bay.

Amik, 44, was born in Landsdowne House but has lived in Nibinamik (Summer Beaver) since 1975.

An uncle encouraged him to draw and paint as a way to express his feelings about living close to the land.

"I only went up to Grade 7," said Amik. "When I was in school (in Landsdowne House) they used to have these art contests. I entered them and maybe get second prize," he said modestly.

Amik spent 20 years working at developing his talent and technique after that, and he's still working at it. He said he found it hard to accept when others criticized his early work and found it lacking, but as he matured he realized "I should learn from that. I got past that. I'd rather get an honest opinion now." But these days he said it is hard sometimes to get an honest opinion, "because people don't want to offend you."

Children are more forthright. "That's why I like to teach kids. I like going to white schools, too," said Amik. "I like to share our Aboriginal world view by my imagery, what it means and all that. Our symbols, whatever. Kids love that, especially the white kids. I want to try to make a difference ... might as well start in the young, so that they can understand we are no different than they are.

"A lot of people helped me out," Amik said to explain how he achieved both recognition and mobility among classrooms since his late 30s.

He credits Red Pepper Spectacle Arts, a downtown Toronto community arts group, as well as an Ontario Arts Council grant initiated by his local school for helping him launch his career beyond the northern reserves.

"They (Red Pepper) recognized my talent and they suggested I go to Manitoulin Island to help them out with theatre design and stuff."

The first year, there was little remuneration, but the networking paid off. Beaver got involved with other artists associated with Wikwemikong's De-ba-jeh-mu-jig Theatre Group, which he said is starting to bring the arts to the more isolated northern communities.

Amik's art in acrylics, watercolours and India ink reflects the natural themes of the land he grew up in, the spirits of place and of the animals, the essence of a community in which everyone relies on everyone else, and the teachings that are repeated in successive generations.

In both Nibinamik and Toronto, Amik remains periodically involved in projects with Red Pepper, where he has shared skills that include mask and puppet making, stilt walking and clay pit firing with students.

As much as he loves making art, Amik equally loves sharing the process with young people wherever he goes.

In the North, Amik has taken his school workshops to the reserves of Kingfisher Lake and Pikangicum, and in the south to St. Catherine's and Fort Hope. He has brought workshops to both London's and Toronto's Festival of Lights celebrations a few times.

In March 2003, Amik paid a two-week visit to Port Hope's John C. Yesno Education Centre.

Principal Steve Bentley, who has a university-level visual arts education, noted in a follow-up letter to Amik's sponsor that "The outcome of his visit was nothing short of amazing."

He praised Amik for his constant interaraction with students and the extensive repertoire of artistic techniques that he shared.

"A lot of effort went into teaching the students techniques in graphite, watercolour, acrylic and tempera." The children worked on big canvases, small canvases, paper, and finally the gym walls.

In the evenings, Amik taught the students how to draw large works in what Bentley described as "Ojibway Woodland Style," but they were also introduced to abstract, realism and symbolism.

Students in grades six to 10 learned the mechanics of preparing wall murals.

"I love teaching ids," said Amik. "They want to learn. Plus, I know how hard it is to be an artist, if nobody ever teaches you anything . . . It took me a long time to be confident in my work. When I go to school now to teach kids I want them to know what I have learned."

Considering that Amik only started feeling confident about his abilities "maybe five years ago," he is rapidly picking up accolades.

"This was one of the most successful artistic ventures I have witnessed," said Bentley. "By the end of the week, the gym was totally decorated with amazing murals.

"I personally filmed the event, day after day, to have a visual record. We concluded with an art gallery showing. We were so pleased with Moses and his work that the board (Eabametoong First Nation Education Authority) brought him back for our cultural week."

In January this year Amik put on a week-long workshop called the Arts in Education project, illustrating story-telling through imagery, at Amethyst School in London.