FNUC professor wins national art challenge

An acclaimed Saskatchewan artist known for his contemporary sculptures is garnering a lot of attention for incorporating one of the most renowned items, a Coca-Cola bottle, into one of his newest pieces.
Lionel Peyachew has been named the winner of the Coca-Cola Aboriginal Art Bottle Program that aims to showcase the art of Canada's First People during the 2010 Winter Olympics taking place in Vancouver, British Columbia.
A Plains Cree from Red Pheasant First Nation, Peyachew admitted that the idea to submit his concept of a six-and-a-half foot sculpture made out of buffalo wool was in actuality, something that he came up with over night.
"When the 2010 Olympic committee mentioned we had to incorporate Native culture into the bottles, that's one of the first things that came to my mind," said Peyachew, who completed his proposal one week after hearing about the opportunity.
Although the concept for Peyachew's sculpture, which he titled 'Buffalo Run', was created within days, the meaning behind his piece is very thoughtful.
"I pay tribute to the North American Buffalo that symbolizes a true Canadian icon that survived as an endangered species, an analogy that parallels the plight for cultural existence," explained Peyachew in a release.
It was the significance along with the impressive detail of 'Buffalo Run' that made it stand out from the other submissions.
"His vision was quite amazing... It's just such a neat idea," said an excited Kirsten Mihailides, public affairs manager for Coca-Cola's Vancouver 2010 Olympic project team.
Mihailides is in the process of traveling to the unveiling of the winners of the Aboriginal Art Bottle Program all over Canada. As a company that has been involved with the Olympics since 1928, Coca-Cola has created several programs for past Olympic Games.
However, Mihailides said their current initiative is especially unique because it incorporates the art of Canada's First People.
"Each one has a true story and a true inspiration," said Mihailides of all 100 submissions.
Out of the 15 artists that were selected, the level of experience varied from amateurs to seasoned professionals. As an art instructor at the First Nations University of Canada, the recipient of the art award from the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation and Canada Council arts grant, Peyachew is far from a beginner.
After dabbling in art in high school, Peyachew went on to get his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1998 at the University of Lethbridge. Once he realized there were few job opportunities available to a new art graduate, he made the decision to further his education by earning his Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Calgary in 2000.
Despite Peyachew's impressive resume, Mihailides stressed that in order for all the competing artist's work to be seen equally, the judges looked at the sketches included in the proposals and made their opinions before looking at the applicant's name. All of the 15 Coca-Cola art bottles will be shipped to Vancouver and showcased during the Olympics, which will take place from February 12 to 28.
The bottles will be on display in various locations around the city. A large touch screen will be set up in Robson Square, located in Downtown Vancouver, that will give the biographies of all the artists and where their art pieces are located. The artists will also have the opportunity to have their creations seen by art lovers from around the world. From February 15 to 25, the bottles will be featured on icoke.ca and eBay.
The goal is to sell the one-of-a-kind pieces to bidders from all over the globe. Proceeds will go to the Vancouver 2010 Aboriginal Youth Legacy Fund, which supports sports, education and culture programs in Aboriginal communities across Canada. Selling his Coca-Cola art bottle would be a thrill for Peyachew.
As a father of four children, whom he struggled to support while pursuing his post-secondary education, Peyachew recalled times when he had to rely on this kind of funding to register his children in sports.
He is grateful for the opportunity for his art to help give back to programs that he once relied on.
"These kind of programs are very important to get kids to participate in sports and keep out of trouble," said Peyachew.