Upcoming exhibition showcases work of Metis artist

Page 16

There are places in this world that are naturally inspiring, that seem to draw artists, writers and musicians like moths to flame. Think Italy during the Renaissance, where da Vinci and Michelangelo gifted the world with some of the greatest artistic creations ever made. Think Paris throughout the 20th century, where masters like Hemingway and Picasso drew inspiration for some of their most notable works. Think ... the Qu'Appelle Valley in southern Saskatchewan? Absolutely, as Saskatoon's Mendel Art Gallery intends to show with its newest exhibition, Qu'Appelle: Tales of Two Valleys.

"Qu'Appelle is one of those places, one of those sites of intersection, both culturally and historically," explained Alexandra Stratulat, the Mendel's program facilitator. "It's a place where two cultures collided, Aboriginal and settler, hence the title of the exhibit. It's a place full of myth, and it's long been a favorite site for artists, musicians, and writers."

Among the notable names whose works will be displayed at the exhibit are Edmund Morris, C.W. Jefferys, Mashel Teitelbaum, Dorothy Knowles, and many others. Edward Poitras, a Metis artist who has for over two decades produced art related to the Qu'Appelle Valley, is also being honored with an extensive survey of his work.

"There's never been a retrospective of his art," noted Stratulat, and given the man's credentials, such a showing seems long overdue.

Poitras grew up and went to school in Lebret and Fort Qu'Appelle. He has been active as an artist since the early 1970s, and has accumulated a significant body of work relating to the area. In 1995, he represented Canada at the prestigious Venice Biennial, an exhibition of the best artwork from around the world, and was one of this year's recipients of the Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts.

The Poitras survey, and that featuring the other artists who have depicted the Qu'Appelle Valley over its settled history, are only two components of the overall exhibition, which is as extensive an undertaking as the Mendel staff have ever organized. Two books (one on Poitras and one on the other featured artists) will also be published to coincide with the exhibit. And, in a sure sign of the changing times, the Mendel's staff are putting an equal amount of effort into the exhibition's Web site as they are on the physical display itself. Small wonder, considering the actual exhibit will only be accessible to the few hundred thousand residents in three communities where it will stop, compared to a potential Internet audience of millions.

"At the same time as we open the Mendel exhibition, we will launch our Web site," Stratulat said. "It will have a section dedicated to the history of Qu'Appelle, looking at the music, poetry, writing, art, and photography that came out of the region. It will also have an online reunion, for which we've requested photos, writing, memorabilia, artwork, anything like that, from people who lived in the region. There's also a youth section - we collaborated with a local high school, and they're going to workshop with a digital artist to produce an online work of art."

Once online, the Web site will be accessible through the Mendel Art Gallery homepage (www.mendel.ca).

The countless hours that have gone into Qu'Appelle: Tales of Two Valleys are sure to set it apart as one of the most memorable in Mendel history. The exhibition is currently on display at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, Ont. through May 5. It will then return to the Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon from June 14 to September 2. A final stop is planned for the Mackenzie Art Gallery in Regina from September 27 to January 12.

"Many people speak of the Spirit of Qu'Appelle, but there hadn't been any survey of its various different types of art, ever," said Stratulat. "We felt it was time."