Getting the word out

The Urban Shaman Gallery has developed over the years as a leader in promoting Aboriginal contemporary art in Winnipeg. Since opening its doors to the community in 1996, the not-for-profit gallery has been committed to meeting the needs of Aboriginal artists in all disciplines through exhibitions, workshops, residencies and curatorial initiatives.

At the same time, they are dedicated to maintaining a strong relationship with the Aboriginal arts community and communities at large and they have done this through showcasing some of the local talent.

In late March, the gallery offered their new Community Art Gallery, which exhibits local art projects. Students from the Diverse Cultural Women's Group created the first exhibit called Connections. The students created collages, dreamcatchers, medicine wheels, legend paintings and totems through their exploration of cultural traditions, as well as contemporary Native art practices.

The exhibit currently on display is a solo showcase by HOCK E AYE VI Edgar Heap of Birds called Remembering In America. His work has been on display since May 18 and will run until June 24. He is a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indian tribe from the United States. He is an art educator and artist that creates public art messages through acrylic paintings, prints, monumental porcelain enamel on steel outdoor sculpture and large scale drawings.

Those Who Walk With Legends And Creation is a collection of works created by a group of Aboriginal fine art students from the University of Manitoba School of Art. Their pieces will be on display from July 6 to July 21.

According to Steve Loft, the gallery director, there are only three galleries in the entire country, including Urban Shaman, where Aboriginal people operate the galleries and have a mandate to show Aboriginal work.

"It's great that we have these galleries in Winnipeg, Regina and in Saskatoon," said Loft. "But what are we missing, we're missing the rest of the country. Therefore, I'm really excited about touring."

From July 28 to July 31, Loft, along with seven Winnipeg-based Aboriginal artists, will be at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre to exhibit their works.

"We'll be taking the artists out there with us to do talks and we're super excited about that," said Loft. "We really want to show a wide range of, not only style, but also professional experience."

"It's wonderful that we have this stuff happening in Winnipeg, but if you're in Edmonton and accept for our Web site, which we're very proud of, you don't get the full effect of it and there's got to be a lasting legacy of what we do," said Loft. "Of course, the artwork continues to exist, but we also need Aboriginal art to be much more a part of Canadian art overall."

Rebecca Belmore, Canada's representative to the 2005 Venice Biennale, the biggest art show in the world, will return to Urban Shaman on Aug. 7 to Oct. 7 to exhibit a series of pieces called The Named And The Unnamed. Belmore was featured at the gallery once before. Born in Ontario, Belmore is an Ojibway artist currently living and working out of Vancouver. She has been producing installations at an international level since 1987.

For more information about the Urban Shaman Gallery, visit www.urbanshaman.org.