Aboriginal artwork showcased at fair

Pieces of First Nations and Métis art splashed with bright colors and drawn with intricate designs, handmade beaded jewelry and moccasins, and personal care natural products were amongst the items on display at a Dec. 4 art fair in Saskatoon.

For its sixth year, the “Annual Emerging Artist Christmas Art Fair” allowed local Aboriginal artists to display their work to prospective buyers just as the Christmas season approached.

“As artists we’re usually pounding the streets going business-to-business selling our artwork,” said artist and co-organizer Daniel Sanderson-O’Shea. “We came up with an idea for an emerging artists art show so Aboriginal artists could have a venue to sell their stuff and make money for Christmas.”
Sanderson-O’Shea, along with John Spyglass and Margie Gruber, organized the art fair to give artists a common area to sell their work and younger artists the chance to delve into the industry. Schools such as Nutana brought in some art students, said Sanderson-O’Shea, and some emerging performing artists took the opportunity to go up on stage and entertain those who browsed items on display at various tables.

One of the artists manning a table of creations was Jasmyn Albert, a grade 11 student at Oskayak High School in Saskatoon.

“This is the first time I’ve been here,” she said. “But my kohkom, Mary Lee has been coming for awhile now.” Although most of the moccasins displayed at Albert’s table were adult size and made by her kohkom, she pointed out a range of smaller pairs she has been making since she was four but has just started to sell.

“It takes me two hours to make one pair,” Albert said. “If I make a mistake my kohkom takes it apart,” she added. Albert commented on two things she likes about being at the fair.

“I like that people can see there’s different kinds of Aboriginal art and you get to meet new people,” she said.

One of the more seasoned artists, Johnny Marceland, has been a part of the event for the past three years and has just recently started a line of t-shirts called ‘Follow Your Dreams Apparel’. Marceland is originally from the Birch Narrows Dene Nation in northern Sask. but lives in Saskatoon where he works as an addictions counselor. Marceland said in previous years he focused daily on selling his work, but it has now become a side activity to his full-time job.

“I go to a lot of conferences, powwows,” he said of where he normally sells his products, but he sees the benefits of fairs as a venue to sell artwork.

“I think it helps to promote other artists, those who are just starting out, like these young students from Nutana,” he said gesturing to students painting at a table beside him.

“We got to have more support for Aboriginal artists, maybe FSIN (Federation of Sask. Indian Nations) can sponsor a big Aboriginal festival, like the University of Saskatchewan usually holds. And if young people want to do something like this they have to believe in themselves,” he added.

Co-organizer, Spyglass is himself an artist who holds a full-time job aside from his efforts to create and sell his artwork to the public.

“Artists have a different way of life,” he said. “And by holding this we’re hoping to provide them with space.”

Spyglass agreed that more government grant support for artists is needed to assist them in setting up a base where they can gain an actual income for the efforts they put into each piece of work.

“There could be more grants for artists because when you apply for these grants they expect digital images, a large write up, a proposal,” Spyglass said. “And a lot of Aboriginal artists don’t have the resources or ability to do that. Instead they’re selling their art out on the streets,” he added.

Spyglass said he appreciates the chance to be involved in an event that allows artists to showcase their work and to give the same support to younger people that he benefitted from as an artist starting out years ago.

Sanderson-O’Shea added that holding the event at the St. John’s Cathedral is a plus because the space is free of charge and organizers are able to give back to the community.

“We give out 19 food hampers to new people every year,” he said. “And we got a lot of volunteers, by the end of the show everybody knows everybody and we’re swapping our art work to each other.”

Sponsors of the fair were the Diocesan Outreach Network, the Anglican Diocese of Saskatoon and St. John’s Cathedral Outreach. Organizers invited all local Aboriginal artists as well as refugee artists and craft-makers to showcase and sell their products at the event.

Photo caption - 1: Emerging artist Jasmyn Albert, holds up a pair of miniature moccasins she created to sell at the ‘Emerging Artists Christmas Art Fair’ held Dec. 4 at St. John’s Anglican Church in Saskatoon.

Photo caption - 2: After showcasing his artwork at the event for the past three years, Dene artist Johnny Marceland of the Birch Narrows First Nation, has just recently created his own t-shirts called ‘Follow Your Dreams Apparel’ which he sells at art shows, conferences and powwows throughout the year.