Big names, small audience at arts show

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The Peepeekisis First Nation held its second annual "Follow Your Dreams Art Festival" from Sept. 23 to 25 at the Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts.

The goal of the festival was to promote First Nations artists and their work. It featured a three-day trade show, a dinner theatre, talent show and fashion show. The event wrapped up with a dance where country singer Lorrie Church performed.

The trade show featured artists' work in many different mediums such as clothing design, oils and acrylic painting, carvings, beadwork and jewelry. Blain Nokusis of the Peepeekisis First Nation, who works with acrylic paints, likes the idea of festivals such as these.

"It helps me promote my art to other people who I wouldn't be able to get in contact with," he said. "They can come out and see it and I can explain what I do."

The dinner theatre, titled "The Pursuit of Indian Hollywood," was held on the Friday. Written and directed by actor Mark Dieter from the Peepeekisis First Nation, the production also featured well-known Saskatchewan actor Gordon Tootoosis, who gave a thrilling performance in his first theatre appearance in more than six years. The play has been submitted to the Saskatchewan Playwrights Centre and a university in the United States is interested in performing it as well. Asked what advice he would give to anyone who is interested in the performing arts, Deiter said, "Get involved in anything. Start out with small things. Be yourself and have fun with it."

He attended acting workshops in both Saskatchewan and Toronto before coming back home. He is currently shopping around his first screenplay.

The talent show, held on Saturday, was open to anyone who wanted to perform. The event was hosted by Lorrie Church, fresh off her performance at the Canadian Country Music Awards where she was nominated for the Wrangler Rising Star Award.

Performances at this year's talent show included jigging, powwow dancing and singing. The winner of the talent show was 15-year-old Darissa Shingoose, who sang Carlene Carter's "Every Little Thing" and Patsy Cline's "Blue Moon of Kentucky." Shingoose also won the talent show at the Treaty 4 Gathering this year in Fort Qu'appelle. As the winner, she received a pair of return tickets to anywhere WestJet flies. She was also the opening act for the dance later that night.

The sold-out fashion show and banquet was another highlight of the festival. First Nations models and designers attended the event. The seven designers involved showed off their creations, which ranged from traditional to contemporary. Day wear, evening wear, shirts in a variety of colors and styles, jackets and even a beaded wedding gown were among some of designs. Designer Eve Lizotte was excited about the festival.

"It offers a venue for Aboriginal artisans to showcase their talents and I feel that it gives an opportunity for others to see what these artisans have to offer. It is a way for Aboriginal artisans to show, not only to the Aboriginal sector but also the non-Aboriginal public, how we can still incorporate our own culture even into today's times," Lizotte said. "I also feel it is very important to help and support our artisans of today. I feel that the more of us that succeed, the better it is. I am so proud that many of our people have chosen to utilize their gifts and to share them with us. It is a hard path for the artisans of today, but with determination, hard work, and support I feel that they offer a great contribution to carrying on the culture."

The final event of the festival was the dance where the winner of the talent show sang a few opening numbers for country singer Lorrie Church. Church performed at the first annual art festival last year and says she believes in what it is trying to accomplish, which is what brought her back this year. Church grew up in Meadow Lake and now resides on Sweetgrass First Nation with her husband of 10 years, Gary Atcheynum. She recently returned from Nashville, Ten. where she recorded her first CD, titled I Never Gave Up Hope. The CD features 12 songs, 10 of which she co-wrote. The song "Running Away" has most recently been seen on CMT. Her new single "I Ain't Perfect" will soon follow, with a third song, the title track, to be released in January.

The songwriting and recording was done in Nashville, but everything else Church does is done in Saskatchewan. Her videos are all shot here, as were the photos for the cover of the album and the liner notes.

Most recently, she has won entertainer of the year and female vocalist of the year at the Saskatchewan Country Music Awards. She performed at the Canadian Country Music Awards a few weeks ago, where she says the highlight of her night was interviewing the stars for the new Aboriginal People's Television Network (APTN) as a special correspondent.

Also in town for the festival was actor Rodney A. Grant, best known for his role in the now classic Dances With Wolves as Wind In His Hair. Grant is an Omaha Indian from Mace (pronounced May-cee) Neb. who now lives in Fresno, Ca. He believes in the message the festival is sending out because he says it is important to follow your dreams.

The event was originally put on as a means to showcase the many artists who are from the Peepeekisis First Nation and area. The idea for this festival was dreamed up by Les Goforth, one of the headmen of Peepeekisis First Nation. Goforth works out of the Peepeekisis Urban Office in Regina, which was set up to act as a liaison between the members of Peepeekisis who are living off reserve and the chief and council.

Event coordinator Christine Joseph, who works for Saskatoon's Thursday Night Creative Productions Inc., a company not only involved in event planning, but in casting and video production as well, said, "Everything went really well. The only thing I'm not happy about was the attendance of the general public. More emphasis has to be put on bringing more people out but I'm really happy wit the overall event itself."

Next year's event promises to be bigger and better, with plans to hold an international powwow in conjunction with the festival.