Prairie art need more exposure

Aboriginal art is in a renaissance period on the prairies, but more needs to be done to encourage its continued success, according to an expert from the University of Regina (U of R).
Dr. Carmen Robertson, assistant professor of art history in the department of visual arts at the U of R, shared information about Aboriginal artists and images of their work during a presentation entitled, "Red Renaissance: Aboriginal Arts from the Flatlands" on Jan. 31 in Regina.
Robertson went through a slideshow filled with images of work created by prairie Aboriginal artists. As she explained the depth of history and meaning behind each work, it was apparent that the assembled group of listeners was fascinated by the new information to which they were being exposed.
"I think the title, Red Renaissance, really promotes a new way of thinking about contemporary Aboriginal art in the prairies," Robertson explained. "We have made a strong contribution and artists are continuing to make a strong contribution, so I just wanted to let people in the community know how important our artists are.
"Louis Riel talked about how our people will sleep for 100 years and when they wake up it will be the arts that show them the way," she continued. "I think that's the idea of renaissance, or rebirth, that we're seeing - sort of this de-colonizing spirit that's taken hold through art as a first line of defence. It's often art that really inspires people to change."
Robertson accompanied the showing of images of artwork with a lecture describing some of the factors that came together for each artist, and the history and awareness of Aboriginal issues on which each drew. Deep symbolism and meaning spoke to the richness of each piece. Each made a powerful statement, especially when accompanied with information about the artist and the work. Robertson said this is important to getting the artists' messages out to the community.
"Accessibility to information and understanding the pieces is important," she said. "Even my students at the university find it difficult to write papers on contemporary Aboriginal artists, because there's nothing written about them. We have a lot of work to do in getting those messages out. Some arts magazines in Canada have begun to include the work of Aboriginal artists, but it's very sketchy at this point."
While recent years have brought some positive attention to Aboriginal arts on the prairies, artists continue to struggle against a lack of funding and a lack of public coverage of their work.
Some have received more recognition elsewhere than in their own communities, Robertson said.
"In some ways, they actually are more well-known or recognized on a national or international scale.
"In Germany, these people are Gods," said Robertson jokingly. "In our own community, within the media, going to galleries around, we don't see a lot of their work. However, the Saskatchewan Arts Board has really tried to make inroads to change those perceptions, to give grants to Aboriginal artists in ways that other provinces have not.
"Provincially, arts bodies look to Saskatchewan as a leader for their importance in helping Aboriginal artists. So, in one way we're really ahead of the game, in funding and in promoting the arts. Yet in mainstream culture, we just don't have very many opportunities to get that message out."
Finding funding, venues to show work and help in getting word out about one's work are all huge challenges for Aboriginal artists, especially emerging ones, Robertson said.
"Being able to make your work and feed your family at the same time is not an easy issue," she said. "Also, finding venues to show your work is very difficult in Canada for Aboriginal artists and we don't see a lot of opportunities for emerging artists to look to a strong history or direction they can go in, so a lot of them are re-inventing the wheel.
"I think that the artists themselves are pushing the envelope and they're trying exciting new things. It's just that they're not necessarily finding that support that's needed."