National Native art gallery first for Canada

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Canada's first national Native art gallery has opened and will send a signal to gallery owners across the country that art made by Native artists should be given more serious

consideration.

That's the view of Gerald McMaster, curator of the Museum of Civilization which opened its doors to the public in June 26.

The museum, located in Hull, Quebec, houses the Indian and Inuit Art Gallery.

McMaster says this is the first opportunity for Native artists across Canada to exhibit their work nationally on a continuing, rotating basis.

"It will provide tremendous exposure for them. We will bring in Native Canadian art, both Indian and Inuit, contemporary and traditional. It's the only pace devoted to Native art

exclusively," said McMaster.

"It's kind of exciting for us because we've been working on this for a number of years," he said.

McMaster says art produced by Native people in Canada has historically, found difficulty being displayed in mainstream art galleries.

"Native artists are still disgruntled that there are not more exhibits and galleries across Canada that devote space to exhibiting Native art," he observed.

It's a fight that will continue on behalf of Native artists for a long time, McMaster predicted.

One of the primary reasons that the museum decided to establish a permanent, exclusive Native art gallery, he said, was because there was no space to put the museum's own

permanent collection of contemporary and traditional Native art.

McMaster said the museum wanted to present Native art in a sophisticated, contemporary way but not simply because it is Native art.

He also stressed that the museum has a permanent collection of art by major Native artists outside of the gallery, including works by Jane Ash Poitras, Joane Alex Janvier,

Cardinal-Schubert, Gerald Tailfeathers and George Littlechild.

With a projected one-half to one million people expected to pass through the museum this year. McMaster said the Native art gallery has been one of the more popular areas of the

museum so far.

Exhibits in the museum will include solo, group and thematic displays.