Interpretive Guide & Hands-on Activities
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts
Travelling Exhibition Program 2011-2013
Creator Paints the World...
...The Colour of Our Voice
youraga.ca
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
The Interpretive Guide
The Art Gallery of Alberta is pleased to present your community with a selection from its
Travelling Exhibition Program. This is one of several exhibitions distributed by The Art Gallery
of Alberta as part of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program. This
Interpretive Guide has been specifically designed to complement the exhibition you are now
hosting. The suggested topics for discussion and accompanying activities can act as a guide to
increase your viewers’ enjoyment and to assist you in developing programs to complement the
exhibition. Questions and activities have been included at both elementary and advanced levels
for younger and older visitors.
At the Elementary School Level the Alberta Art Curriculum includes four components to provide
students with a variety of experiences. These are:
Reflection:
Responses to visual forms in nature, designed objects and artworks
Depiction:
Development of imagery based on notions of realism
Composition: Organization of images and their qualities in the creation of visual art
Expression: Use of art materials as a vehicle for expressing statements
The Secondary Level focuses on three major components of visual learning. These are:
Drawings:
Examining the ways we record visual information and discoveries
Encounters: Meeting and responding to visual imagery
Composition: Analyzing the ways images are put together to create meaning
The activities in the Interpretive Guide address one or more of the above components and are
generally suited for adaptation to a range of grade levels. As well, this guide contains coloured
images of the artworks in the exhibition which can be used for review and discussion at any
time. Please be aware that copyright restrictions apply to unauthorized use or reproduction of
artists’ images.
The Travelling Exhibition Program, funded by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, is designed to
bring you closer to Alberta’s artists and collections. We welcome your comments and
suggestions and invite you to contact:
Shane Golby, Manager/Curator
Travelling Exhibition Program
Ph: 780.428.3830; Fax: 780.421.0479
Email: [email protected]
youraga.ca
THIS PACKAGE CONTAINS:
Curatorial Statement
Artist Biographies
Visual Inventory - list of works
Visual Inventory - images
TALKING ART
Curriculum Connections/Art Across the Curriculum
Art History, Art Styles and Processes VISUAL LEARNING AND ART
PROJECTS
What is Visual Learning?
Elements of Composition/
Reading Pictures Tours
Exhibition Related Projects
Glossary
Credits
The AFA and AGA
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479 youraga.ca
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Curatorial Statement
Creator Paints the World...
...The Colour of Our Voice
Alsena White
Art and Ceremony Study, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
Collection of the artist
a spiritual place is around us,
is inside us, is time immemorial
we stand in spaces of our ancestors
we walk the trail & pick up what they have left for us
we interpret the world, and
we share what we have been asked to carry
We must speak our truth in words and pictures and songs and movement, or it will be forgotten,
it will be lost in the forest of the world that has come to share our lands.
We come from ceremony, we learn in ceremony, and ceremony teaches us how to be, how to
be in ceremony, to be in the moment, to create that moment. We learn, we experiment, we seek
meaning, we teach ourselves and each other, we laugh and we heal, we build relationships, we
build community. We express our life in art. What we create becomes who we are. We are
learning about our spiritual self, together, we are art and ceremony. Art brings a humbleness. Art
is spiritual practice.
This is our offering.
Curated by Sherri Chisan & Lana Whiskeyjack, faculty and the students in the Indigenous Artists Program Blue Quills
First Nations College for the Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program, organized by the
Art Gallery of Alberta. The AFA Travelling Exhibition Program is supported by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.
The exhibition Creator Paints the World...The Colour of Our Voice was made possible through sponsorship from
Syncrude Canada Ltd.
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479 youraga.ca
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Visual Inventory - List of Works
8Q! (Sherri Chisan)
From the Grandmothers, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
16 inches X 24 inches
Collection of the artist
Mary Jane Houle
Horse Shield, 2010
Mixed media on canvas
16 inches X 24 inches
Collection of the artist
8Q! (Sherri Chisan)
Paskwaw Mostos, 2009
Soapstone
5 inches X 5 1/2 inches
Collection of the artist
Mary Jane Houle
Buffalo and Women, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
16 inches X 24 inches
Collection of the artist
George Giant
Art and Ceremony Study, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
16 inches X 24 inches
Collection of the artist
Mary Jane Houle
Untitled, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
16 inches X 24 inches
Collection of the artist
George Giant
Art and Ceremony, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
16 inches X 24 inches
Collection of the artist
Mary Jane Houle
Art Nouveau Study, 2010
Mixed media on canvas
16 inches X 24 inches
Collection of the artist
Jody Houle
Untitled, 2010
Oil on canvas
24 inches X 36 inches
Collection of the artist
Terrence McGilvery
Legend, 2010
Pencil on paper
18 inches X 24 inches
Collection of the artist
Jody Houle
Untitled, 2010
Oil on canvas
24 inches X 36 inches
Collection of the artist
Ivan Whiskeyjack
Mother, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
20 inches X 24 inches
Collection of the artist
Mary Jane Houle
Strong Native Women in the Spirit World,
2010
Acrylic on canvas board
12 inches X 16 inches
Collection of the artist
Ivan Whiskeyjack
Native Spirit, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
16 inches X 24 inches
Collection of the artist
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479 youraga.ca
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Visual Inventory - List of Works
Ivan Whiskeyjack
Universe, 2010
Acrylic on panel
11 inches X 14 inches
Collection of the artist
Alsena White
Feather, 2010
Linocut on paper
6 inches X 6 inches
Collection of the artist
Ivan Whiskeyjack
Mistatim, 2010
Mixed media wood relief
16 inches X 13.5 inches X 1.5 inches
Collection of the artist
Lana Whiskeyjack
George, 2010
Oil on canvas
16 inches X 24 inches
Collection of Blue Quills First Nations College
Lana Whiskeyjack
Mah!, 2010
Mixed media on canvas
10 inches X 36 inches
Collection of the artist
Lana Whiskeyjack
Kahkakow, 2009
Ceramic, acrylic
5 inches X 5 1/2 inches
Collection of the artist
Alsena White
Art and Ceremony Study, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
16 inches X 24 inches
Collection of the artist
Total number of works: 8 artists
21 works
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479 youraga.ca
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Visual Inventory - Images
8Q! (Sherri Chisan)
From the Grandmothers, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
16 inches X 24 inches
Collection of the artist
8Q! (Sherri Chisan)
Paskwaw Mostos, 2009
Soapstone
5 inches X 5 1/2 inches
Collection of the artist
George Giant
Art and Ceremony Study, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
16 inches X 24 inches
Collection of the artist
George Giant
Art and Ceremony, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
16 inches X 24 inches
Collection of the artist
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479 youraga.ca
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Visual Inventory - Images
Jody Houle
Untitled, 2010
Oil on canvas
24 inches X 36 inches
Collection of the artist
Mary Jane Houle
Horse Shield, 2010
Mixed media on canvas
16 inches X 24 inches
Collection of the artist
Jody Houle
Untitled, 2010
Oil on canvas
24 inches X 36 inches
Collection of the artist
Mary Jane Houle
Strong Native Women in the Spirit World, 2010
Acrylic on canvas board
12 inches X 16 inches
Collection of the artist
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479 youraga.ca
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Visual Inventory - Images
Mary Jane Houle
Buffalo and Women, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
16 inches X 24 inches
Collection of the artist
Mary Jane Houle
Untitled, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
16 inches X 24 inches
Collection of the artist
Mary Jane Houle
Art Nouveau Study, 2010
Mixed media on canvas
16 inches X 24 inches
Collection of the artist
Terrence McGilvery
Legend, 2010
Pencil on paper
18 inches X 24 inches
Collection of the artist
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479 youraga.ca
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Visual Inventory - Images
Ivan Whiskeyjack
Native Spirit, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
16 inches X 24 inches
Collection of the artist
Ivan Whiskeyjack
Universe, 2010
Acrylic on panel
11 inches X 14 inches
Collection of the artist
Ivan Whiskeyjack
Mother, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
20 inches X 24 inches
Collection of the artist
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479 youraga.ca
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Visual Inventory - Images
Ivan Whiskeyjack
Mistatim, 2010
Mixed media relief
16 inches X 13.5 inches X 1.5 inches
Collection of the artist
Lana Whiskeyjack
Kahkakow 2009
Ceramic and acrylic paint
5 1/2 inches X 5 inches
Collection of the artist
Lana Whiskeyjack
George, 2010
Oil on canvas
16 inches X 24 inches
Collection of Blue Quills First Nations College
Lana Whiskeyjack
Mah!, 2010
Mixed media on canvas
10 inches X 36 inches
Collection of the artist
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479 youraga.ca
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Visual Inventory - Images
Alsena White
Feather, 2010
Linocut on paper
6 inches X 6 inches
Collection of the artist
Alsena White
Art and Ceremony Study, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
16 inches X 24 inches
Collection of the artist
Total number of works: 21 works
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479 youraga.ca
TALKING ART
Ivan Whiskeyjack
Universe, 2010
Acrylic on panel
Collection of the artist
CONTENTS:
- Curriculum Connections
- A Brief Introduction to Blue Quills
- A History of Blue Quills
- Native History of Alberta
- Treaty 6
- Art History/Art Genre and Styles/Art Processes
- Norval Morrisseau and The Indian Group of Seven
- Daphne Odjig
- Expressionism
- Art Nouveau
- Abstraction
- Word and Image
- Word and Image: Cree Syllabics
- Portraiture
- Print-making: Lino cut and artist comments
- Relief Sculpture and artist comments
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479 youraga.ca
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Cross-Curricular Connections
Social Studies
K.2 Self Identity: Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the
characteristics and interests that unite members of communities and groups.
1.1 My World: Home, School, and Community: Students will demonstrate an understanding and
appreciation of how identity and self esteem are enhanced by their sense of belonging in their
world and how active members of a community contribute to the well-being, growth, and vitality
of their groups and communities.
2.1 Canada’s Dynamic Communities: Students will demonstrate an understanding of how
geography, culture, language, heritage, economics and resources shape and change Canada’s
dynamic communities.
4.2.1 The Stories, Histories and Peoples of Alberta: Students will have an understanding of how
Alberta’s history, peoples and stories contribute to their own sense of belonging and identity
and recognize how stories of people and events provide multiple perspectives on past and
present events. Students will recognize oral traditions, narratives and stories as valid sources
of knowledge about the land, culture and history. Students will recognize the presence and
influence of diverse Aboriginal peoples as inherent to Alberta’s culture and identity.
4.2.2 Students will assess, critically, how the cultural and linguistic heritage and diversity of
Alberta has evolved over time by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions and
issues:
• Which First Nations originally inhabited the different areas of the province?
• What do the stories of Aboriginal peoples tell us about their beliefs regarding the relationship
between people and the land?
5.2.1 Histories and Stories of Ways of Life in Canada: Students will appreciate the complexity
of identity in the Canadian context and acknowledge the contributions made by diverse cultural
groups to the evolution of Canada.
7.2.1 Following Confederation: Canada’s Expansion: Students will recognize the positive and
negative aspects of immigration and migration.
10.2. Regionalism: Students will be expected to understand that Canada is composed of
geographic regions with diverse political, economic and cultural interests. Students will be
expected to develop an understanding of the concepts of regional diversity and pluralism.
11.1 Global Diversity: Students will be expected to understand that diversity and disparity exist in
the modern world.
11.2 Economic Development and Interdependence: Students will be expected to understand that
there are factors that affect development.
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479 youraga.ca
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Art Curriculum Connections
Art Connections K-6
Art speaks a universal language of culture, spanning history and peoples. Art is part of humankind’s heritage. Art education is concerned with valuing, reflecting and appreciating this legacy.
Opportunity should be provided for: awareness of and appreciation for the ethnic and cultural
aspects of the visual arts in our society; an understanding of art as a common or universal
means of expression among all peoples; an appreciation of artistic accomplishments, past and
present.
• The centre of interest can be made prominent by contrasting its size, shape, colour or texture
from the other parts of the composition.
• Use collage techniques for picture making.
• Take advantage of the visual art implications of any available technological device, and explore
the potential of emerging technologies. Use a simple camera for recording specific effects such
as textures, rhythm, pattern.
• Students will modify forms by abstraction, distortion and other transformations. Shapes can be
abstracted or reduced to their essence.
• Arrangements of forms into shapes and patterns can tighten a design, direct attention and hold
interest in a composition.
Grades 7-9
– Students will examine and simplify basic shapes and spaces. Overlapping figures or objects
create an illusion of space in two-dimensional works. Repetition of shape in nature can suggest
patterns and motifs.
- Students will understand that the role and form of art differs through time and across cultures.
– Students will identify similarities and differences in expressions of selected cultural groups.
– Students will develop competence with the components of images: media, techniques and
design elements.
– Students will acquire a repetoire of approaches to recording visual information.
– Students will use expressiveness in their use of elements in the making of images.
– Students will develop the ability to investigate visual relationships in their recorded images and
in the environment.
– Students will demonstrate technical competencies and express individual insights.
– Students will investigate the effects of modifying colour, space and form to change pictorial
style.
– Students will recognize the significance of the visual symbols that are used for identification.
Grades 10-12
- Various materials alter representational formats and processes used in achieving certain
intended effects.
– Students will notice commonalities within classes of natural objects or forms.
– Students will interpret artworks literally.
– Students will express a feeling or a message. Specific messages, beliefs and interests can be
interpreted visually or symbolized.
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479 youraga.ca
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Art Curriculum Connections
– Students will use media and techniques, with an emphasis on exploration and direct methods
in drawing, printmaking and photography.
– Tactile qualities of surfaces can be rendered through controlled use of line.
– Linear perspective is a representational device that gives the illusion of three-dimensional
pictorial space.
– Natural forms can be used as sources of abstract images and designs.
– A drawing can be a formal, analytical description of an object.
– Meaning is expressed in works of art through subject choice, media selection and design
element emphasis.
– The exploration of existing technology may influence the development of two and three
dimensional images.
– Personal situations and events in artists’ lives affect their personal visions and work. Imagery
can depict important aspects of the students’ own life.
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479 youraga.ca
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Chief Blue Quill (Sipîtakanep) and the
beginnings of Blue Quills College
- A Brief Survey
Chief Blue Quill was among the original four chiefs that banded together to form Saddle Lake as
a result of signing Treaty Six. In 1880, Chief Blue Quill moved his band to Egg Lake (Whitford
Lake, now known as Andrew). In 1890 J.A. Mitchell, the Indian Agent, persuaded Chief Blue
Quill to move back to the Saddle Lake reserve. Agent Mitchell promised that Blue Quill’s band
would have 30 acres of land broken for them at Saddle Lake, be given six cows, and
compensation for the house a band member had built at their former location. Chief Blue Quill
settled on the western end of Saddle Lake.
In the late 19th century both the Protestant and Catholic churches operated in the area. First
Nations children who were Catholic were sent to school at Lac La Biche, not returning to their
homes until they were sixteen years old. Because of the hardships involved, the people in
Saddle Lake asked for a school at home. The Federal Indian Department studied the idea and,
in 1898, moved the school from Lac La Biche to the more populous Saddle Lake. In 1931 the
school was established as Blue Quills Indian Residential School and was moved to its present
location, five kilometers west of the town of St. Paul.
In 1969 Indian Affairs Minister Jean Chretien released the government’s White Paper. Among
other issues raised in this document was the recommendation that Indian education be turned
over to the provinces rather than being a federal responsibility. As this recommendation was
made unilaterally, without consultations with First Nations peoples, and as it violated Treaty
agreements, Indigenous peoples across Canada began to organize strategies to counteract this
threat. In 1969 the Saddle Lake bands voted unanimously in favor of making a bid to operate
the Blue Quills Indian Residential school.
Meetings were held with Indian Affairs officials but no affirmative response was provided. As a
result, at the end of June, 1970, the Indigenous peoples of the Saddle Lake/Athabasca District
moved in a well-planned sit-in and took over the school, vowing not to vacate until the Federal
Government acceded to the wishes of the people. After 21 days of the sit-in, representatives
were invited to meet with Jean Chretien on Parliament Hill and, after numerous meetings, the
group was given the approval to proceed with their stated operations of the residential facilities,
effective January 1, 1971.
Since 1971 Blue Quills First Nations College has been a locally controlled Indigenous
education centre serving the academic and training needs of people of all cultures. As an
Indigenous non-profit educational institution, a prime objective is to promote a sense of pride in
Indigenous heritage and reclaim traditional knowledge and practices. Blue Quills is governed by
seven appointed Board members, each representing one of the seven local First Nations
communities: Beaver Lake, Cold Lake, Frog Lake, Whitefish Lake, Heart Lake, Kehewin, and
Saddle Lake, plus one Elder from the Saddle Lake First Nation. These communities represent
almost 17,500 people.
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479 youraga.ca
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Chief Blue Quill (Sipîtakanep) and the
beginnings of Blue Quills College continued
Blue Quills College is a founding member of the First Nations Adult and Higher Education
Consortium, partnering with other Indigenous institutions and programs to advance
programming and educational opportunities for adults ensuring an Indigenous learning
environment and content. In 1998 Blue Quills initiated the Leadership and Management
Program which is founded on a cultural paradigm, designed to facilitate personal and
organizational growth and change for all cultures of peoples. This program is the first degree
offered by an independent Indigenous institution in Alberta, and is transferable to mainstream
institutions in the region. The launch of this program marked a definitive transformation of the
College, from being dependent on mainstream institutions and programming, to designing their
own curriculum and delivery models reflecting the wholistic paradigm. In 2000 Blue Quills
College was accredited by the First Nations Accreditation Board, offering the most powerful and
meaningful accreditation. Through the current structures and processes mandated by the Chiefs
and the First Nations, this accreditation has allowed Blue Quills First Nations College to retain
the integrity to the protection of Indigenous Peoples Treaty rights.
Blue Quills First Nations College
Photograph courtesy of Shane Golby
Blue Quills is committed to developing programs and learning environments that honour
nehiyaw mamitoneyicikan (indigenous knowledge/thought/philosophy) balanced with an
exploration of western knowledge. Through this process, the First Nations will be able to
maintain their original language, and all that flows from it - culture, traditions, rituals, and
ceremonies. At the same time, Blue Quills has been adept at continuing to offer the very best in
an academic education in order that their students may thrive in the 21st century.
* credit: www.bluequills.ca/our_history.htm
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479 youraga.ca
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Chief Blue Quill (Sipîtakanep) and the
beginnings of Blue Quills College continued
The Indigenous Artists’ Program at Blue Quills First Nations College is presently in its second
year of operations. While a certificate art program has been in place since 2005, the 2009/2010
year was the first year that the college offered either a two year diploma or four year degree
program. As a result, this is the first time many students have been exposed to an art program.
This program has been established along a self-directed learning model. Students take initiative
for their own learning and are guided to research what they need to know for the work they are
doing or interested in.
All programs at Blue Quills First Nations College are based on traditional knowledge and
ceremony. The following two pages, from Blue Quills First Nations College 30th
Anniversary Commemorative Book, provide some information concerning these
traditions and relate directly to some of the art works in the exhibition Creator Paints the
World...The Colour of Our Voice.
George Giant
Art and Ceremony Study, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
Collection of the artist
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479 youraga.ca
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479 youraga.ca
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479 youraga.ca
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Art History: Norval Morriseau and
The Indian Group of Seven
While First Nations peoples have been creating visual imagery for milenia, in the
contemporary Canadian art world, Canadian native art wasn’t taken seriously until the
1960s. Before then, Native artworks were viewed solely as “Indigenous” and as
interesting anthropological manifestations rather than being viewed as having any
‘artistic’ value. Beginning in the 1960’s, however, a group of First Nations artists emerged
whose work and efforts resulted in a major shift in how Native art was viewed by the
Canadian art establishment. The first First Nations artist whose work was taken seriously
by the art world was Norval Morrisseau.
Norval Morrisseau
Norval Morrisseau (1932-2007) was one
of Canada’s foremost aboriginal artists and
founder of the Woodland Style of painting.
Born near Thunder Bay, Ontario, on the Sand
Point Reserve, Morrisseau was an Ojibwa
shaman and self-taught artist who painted for
more than 50 years, gaining an International
reputation as one of Canada’s original master
artists. Morrisseau was brought up by both of
his maternal grandparents. His grandfather was
a shaman who schooled him in the traditional
ways of his culture while his grandmother,
a Catholic, made sure he was familiar with
Christian beliefs. According to accounts, it
was the conflict between the two cultures that
influenced Morrisseau’s outlook and became
his art.
Norval Morrisseau
Self-Portrait, 1977
Acrylic on Canvas
Art Gallery of Alberta Collection
Morrisseau was known for taking traditional icons expressed in his native culture in rock art and
birch bark scrolls and translating these images in the Western media of easel painting and
printmaking. He was also fascinated with modern European painting, which he was exposed to
by his first ‘white’ patrons in 1959.
His first exhibition was in 1962 at the Pollock Gallery; an exhibition of work that sold out within
24 hours. Through his career he received numerous distinctions. In 1970 he became a member
of the Royal Canadian Academy of Art. In 1978 he was made a Member of the Order of Canada
and also received honorary doctorates from McGill University in Montreal and McMaster
University in Hamilton. In 1995 The Assembly of First Nations presented him with its highest
honour, a presentation of an eagle feather. In 2006 Morrisseau had the only native solo art
exhibition in the 127 year history of the National Gallery of Canada.
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479 youraga.ca
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Art History: Norval Morriseau and
The Indian Group of Seven continued
Shortly before his death in 2007 Morrisseau had a major solo exhibition entitled Norval
Morrisseau: Shaman Artist, at the National Museum of the North American Indian in New York
City. As stated by Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine following Morrisseau’s
death:
Norval Morrisseau’s courageous and often controversial approach to his work was instrumental in encouraging First Nations people to know their spirituality, history and culture in order to better understand themselves.
Norval Morrisseau could lay claim to being the creator and spiritual leader of the Woodland
Indian art movement, not only in Canada but in the northeast United States. He developed
his style independent of the influence of any other artist and was the first to depict Ojibwa
legends and history to the non-native world. In Morrisseau’s work there is little attention to
figurative modelling, and no delving into the problems of perspective or pictorial depth. Instead,
he presented stylized versions of what he knew: the bears, loons, fish and other animals and
the people in the town around him. The rudiments of Woodland, also called the pictographic
style or x-ray style, paintings are expressive formline; a system for transparency and
interconnecting lines that determine relationships in terms of spiritual power. For Morrisseau,
the use of bright, constrasting colours were also a key resource in his repertory of symbols.
His manner of separating form into areas of distinct colour is reminiscent of stained glass and
may have been a result of his conversion to Christianity and frequent trips to a Catholic Church
when he was recovering from tuberculosis in his early 20s. He used connecting lines to depict
interdependence between forms and colours. Three generations of native artists have followed
in Morrisseau’s footsteps, producing variations of the Morrisseau style using heavy black
outlines to enclose colourful, flat shapes. As expressed by Morrisseau himself:
I want to make paintings full of colour, laughter, compassion and love....If I can do that, I can
paint for 100 years.
Norval Morrisseau
Native Unity, n.d.
Acrylic on Canvas
Art Gallery of Alberta Collection
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479 youraga.ca
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Art History: The Indian Group of Seven
Norval Morrisseau’s work showed that native artists and native art could stand shoulder to
shoulder with other contemporary Canadian artists and his success inspired other artists to
follow. In 1973 the Winnipeg Art Gallery held a groundbreaking exhibition entitled
Treaty Numbers 23, 287, 1171 which featured work by First Nations artists Jackson Beardy, Alex
Janvier and Daphne Odjig. This breakthrough exhibition was one of the first exhibitions in
Canada to address First Nations art within an aesthetic as opposed to an anthropological
framework and showed that native artists truly had a unique contribution to make to the art
world. The exhibition was followed, in 1973, by the foundation of the “Professional Native Indian
Artists Association”. Daphne Odjig was the driving force behind this group which also included
Alex Janvier, Jackson Beardy, Norval Morrisseau, Eddy Cobiness, Carl Ray and
Joseph Sanchez. The group, which came to be called ‘The Indian Group of Seven’, an informal
name given by Winnipeg Free Press reporter Gary Scherbain, had as its main aims the
development of a fund to enable artists to paint; the development of a marketing stategy
involving prestigious commercial galleries in order to allow artists to exhibit their work; the
stimulation of young artists; and the establishment of a trust fund for scholarship programs for
emerging artists.
Daphne Odjig
Devotion, 1977
Acrylic on Canvas
Centre for Contemporary Canadian Art
Carl Ray
A Medicine Bag, 1972
Ink, Acrylic on Paper
Art Gallery of Alberta Collection
Jackson Beardy
Untitled (Bird), 1967
Acrylic, Gouache on Board
Art Gallery of Alberta Collection
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479 youraga.ca
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Art History: The Indian Group of Seven
While united in their aims, the members of the Indian Group of Seven followed their
separate artistic visions. Carl Ray, who apprenticed under Norval Morrisseau, was strongly
influenced by the Woodland Style of painting developed by Norval Morrisseau, using heavy dark
outlines to render forms and shapes within forms and focusing on native legends and
healing. Eddy Cobiness and Alex Janvier, while initially influenced by the Woodland style,
gradually evolved to more abstract forms.
Eddy Cobiness
Hoopdancer
Alex Janvier
Lubicon, 1988
Acrylic on Canvas
Art Gallery of Alberta Collection
Daphne Odjig, whose work is often associated with the Woodland school, claims that she is not
part of the school as her works incorporate the importance of womanhood and sense of family
while others in the group were concerned with a spiritual quest. Odjig’s work is also different in
that she was influenced by Picasso’s cubism but within an Aboriginal context, fusing together
elements of aboriginal pictographs and First Nations arts with European techniques and styles
of the 20th century.
The Indian Group of Seven had three shows throughout Canada and disbanded in 1975.
Though the groups ‘life’ was brief, however, it was extremely important for moving native art into
the mainstream of the Canadian art world and influencing younger native artists. As expressed
by Daphne Odjig:
If my work as an artist has somehow helped to open doors between our people and the nonNative community, then I am glad. I am even more deeply pleased if it has helped to encourage
the young people that have followed our generation to express their pride in our heritage more
openly, more joyfully than I would have ever dared to think possible.
(Odjig: the Art of Daphne Odjig, pg. 78)
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Art History: Daphne Odjig
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Art History: Daphne Odjig continued
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Art Styles and Processes
While all periods of history have witnessed
aspects of innovation and ‘progress’ in
various realms, no period has witnessed such
profound and rapid change in a multitude of
areas as the late nineteenth and twentieth
centuries. These centuries witnessed major
technological advancements, changes in political
and social systems, and changes in how
humankind actually perceived the world, changes
which continue to impact the world into the 21st
century. The art realm was one segment of
society which was dramatically affected by
changes in all these areas. In art these changes
were expressed through the use of new means of
art production and new and challenging
methods of art expression. These changes are
clearly expressed in artworks in the exhibition
Creator Paints the World...The Colour of Our
Voice.
George Giant
Art and Ceremony, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
Collection of the artist
Expressionism
One very important art movement which began in the late 19th century was that of
Expressionism. Influences of this style are seen in the work of George Giant in the
exhibition Creator Paints the World...The Colour of Our Voice. Expressionism refers to an
aesthetic style of expression in art history and criticism that developed during the late 19th and
early 20th centuries. Artists affiliated with this movement deliberately turned away from the
representation of nature as a primary purpose of art and broke with the traditional aims of
European art in practice since the Renaissance.
Expressionist artists proclaimed the direct rendering of emotions and feelings as the only true
goal of art. The formal elements of line, shape and colour were to be used entirely for their
expressive possibilities. In European art, landmarks of this movement were violent colours and
exaggerated lines that helped contain intense emotional expression. Balance of design was
ignored to convey sensations more forcibly and DISTORTION became an important means
of emphasis. The most important forerunner of Expressionism was Vincent van Gogh (18531890). Van Gogh used colour and line to consciously exaggerate nature ‘to express…man’s
terrible passions.’ This was the beginning of the emotional and symbolic use of colour and line
where the direction given to a line is that which will be most expressive of the feeling which the
object arouses in the artist.
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Art Styles and Processes continued
The Norwegian artist Edvard Munch (1863-1944) was also
extremely influential in the development of expressionist
theory. In his career Munch explored the possibilities of
violent colour and linear distortions with which to express
the elemental emotions of anxiety, fear, love and hatred.
In his works, such as The Scream, Munch came to realize
the potentialities of graphic techniques with their simple
directness.
Edvard Munch
The Scream, 1893
By 1905, Expressionist groups appeared almost simultaneously in both Germany and France.
Only English painters stood aside from the movement as Expressionism, with its lack of
restraint, was not congenial to English taste. Between the world wars expressionist ideas
were grafted on to other art movements such as Cubism and evolved into other forms such as
Abstract Expressionism and Tachisme.
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Art Styles and Processes continued
Art Nouveau
A second art movement examined by artists in the
Indigenous Artist Program and witnessed in the work of
Mary Jane Houle in Creator Paints The World...The Colour
of Our Voice is Art Nouveau. Art Nouveau is an international
movement and style of art, architecture and applied art that
peaked in popularity at the turn of the 20th century. A reaction
to the academic art of the 19th century, Art Nouveau is
characterized by organic, especially floral and other
plant-inspired motifs, as well as highly stylized, flowing
curvilnear forms. Both of these characteristics are expressed in
Houle’s work.
Art Nouveau dominated architecture and the applied arts in
Europe for more than a decade, from the early 1890s
until about 1906, but its influence was global. As a result, it is
known in various forms with frequent localised tendencies.
Famous artists associated with this movement were Gustav
Klimt, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Alphonse Mucha, René
Lalique, Antoni Gaudi, and Louis Comfort Tiffany.
Mary Jane Houle
Art Nouveau Study, 2010
Mixed media
Collection of the artist
The origins of Art Nouveau are found in the textiles of
William Morris which resisted the cluttered compositions
and the revival tendencies of the Victorian era, and in
the engravings of Arthur H. Mackmurdo. Mackmurdo’s
book-cover for Wren’s City Churches (1883) is often
considered the first realisation of Art Nouveau due to its
rhythmic floral patterns. At around the same time the flat
perspective and strong colours of Japanese woodcuts,
with their organic forms, references to the natural world,
and clear designs, had a strong effect on the formulation
of Art Nouveau’s formal language.
Arthur Mackmurdo
Book-cover, Wren’s City Churches, 1883
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau
While Art Nouveau took on distinctly localised
tendencies as its geographic spread increased, some
general characteristics are indicative of the form. Among
the most important of these is the use of dynamic,
undulating, and flowing lines in both two dimensional
work and in sculptural and architectural forms. For artists
associated with this movement, line was perceived as a
force that might alternately or simultaneously be
abstract, symbolic, ornamental or structural. Art Nouveau
is seen as an important bridge between the historicism of
Neoclassicism and modern abstraction.
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Art Styles and Processes continued
Abstraction
Various aspects of abstraction are also seen
in works in the exhibition Creator Paints The
World...The Colour of Our Voice. Abstract
Art is a term commonly applied to 20th century
art styles which developed in reaction to
traditional European conceptions of art as the
imitation of nature.
By one definition, abstraction involves
the reduction of natural appearances to
simplified forms. In this sense, abstraction
may involve the depiction of only the essential
or generic forms of things by elimination of
particular variations. Within this, abstraction
can, but does not need to, include distortion
and stylization. Distortion involves using
incorrect or unusual reproductions of the
shapes of things whereas stylization involves
the representation of something through using a
set of recognizable characteristics.
8Q! (Sherri Chisan)
Paskwaw Mostos, 2009
Soapstone
Collection of the artist
In contrast to reduction as described above,
abstraction may also involve the creation of
independent constructs of shapes and colours which
have aesthetic appeal in their own right.
Abstract painting was pioneered between 1910 and 1913
by the Russian-born painter Wassily Kandinsky in Munich,
Germany, and in Paris by the Czech artist Frantisek Kupka
and the French artist Robert Delaunay. Kandisnsky, the
most influential of the three, was the first to plunge into
pure abstraction.
Jody Houle
Untitled, 2010
Oil on canvas
Collection of the artist
Wassily Kandinsky
Composition X
1939
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Art Styles and Processes continued
Abstraction continued
Throughout the period of the 1960s to 1980s in Alberta,
abstraction in the visual arts tended to focus on the idea of ‘art
for arts sake’ and a concern with the material of paint itself and
paint handling. The works created had little or no actual subject
matter other than a concern with the formal elements of line,
shape, colour and texture and the emphasis in a work was on
pure aesthetic experience.
8Q! (Sherri Chisan)
From the Grandmothers, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
Collection of the artist
Since the 1980s, however, there has been a shift in this
view of abstract art. While many abstract artists continue to
focus on formal elements, others now use recent developments
in contemporary art like metaphor, symbolism and external
references which give the practitioners the freedom to
abandon the self-referential and a strict ‘art for art’s sake’
attitude. Abstract painting is no longer simply a tale about
‘close-valued, subtle colour compositions and heavy textured
surfaces’ but an open-ended exploration of abstract concerns
and a multitude of ideas.
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Art Styles - Word and Image - A Survey
Word and image have a long and complex
relationship but the combination of the
two has become a very popular form of art
expression over the past 100 years. While
mankind first communicated through the use of
visual symbols or images, these images gradually
evolved into written language which became
the primary means of communication or record
keeping for the past two thousand years. Word
and image remained virtually independent, or
image was used merely to illustrate text, until
the beginning of the 20th century. Since the
development of Cubism in the early 1900s,
however, the union of text and image in pictorial
space has played an influential role in artmaking
and is seen in some of the works in the exhibition
Creator Paints the World...The Colour of Our
Voice.
Terrence McGilvery
Legend, 2010
Pencil on paper
Collection of the artist
Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde movement pioneered by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
and Georges Braque (1882-1963). As developed by these artists, Cubism was expressed
through two main branches. The first, known as Analytic Cubism, played a major role in art
production in France between 1907 and 1911. The second branch is known as Synthetic
Cubism.
Pablo Picasso
Synthetic Cubism involved using synthetic materials in
the artwork. This movement witnessed the use of collage
as a recognized art process. In their works Picasso and
Braque pasted wall-paper, newspaper clippings, sheet
music and other materials onto the canvas to create hybrid
works of art. Collage is an artistic concept associated
with the beginnings of Modernism and entails much more
than the idea of glueing something onto something else.
The glued-on patches which Braque and Picasso added
to their canvases ‘collided with the surface plane of the
painting’ and involved a methodical re-examination of
the relation between painting and sculpture. The Cubist
works produced by these artists created works which gave
each medium some of the characteristics of the other.
Furthermore, the synthetic elements introduced, such as
newspaper clippings, introduced fragments of externally
referenced meaning into the collision of media. In
Synthetic Cubism Picasso was the first artist to use text
in his artwork and the first to create mixed-media works
(works using more than one type of medium).
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Art Styles - Word and Image con’t
The development of Collage, pioneered by Picasso
and Braque, had a powerful influence on other artists
and art movements. Artists associated with the DADA
Movement made extensive use of collage in order to
comment on the world around them. One of the foremost
artists associated with this movement was
Kurt Schwitters (1887-1948).
Kurt Schwitters was a German painter born in
Hanover, Germany. Schwitters worked in several genres
and media, including Dada, Constructivism, Surrealism,
poetry, sound, painting, sculpture, graphic design,
typography and installation art. He is most famous,
however, for his collages which are called Merz Pictures.
Merz has been described as ‘Psychological Collage’.
Most of these works attempt to make coherent aesthetic
sense of the world around Schwitters through the use of
found objects. Schwitters’s Merz works
incorporated objects such as bus tickets, old wire and
fragments of newsprint, artist’s periodicals, sculptures,
Kurt Schwitters
sound poems and other scraps. Later collages would
feature mass media images. Through these works
Schwitters often made witty allusions to current events or
made autobiographical references and his work was
very influential.
Andy Warhol
The union of text and image, originating in the works of
Picasso and Braque and explored further by DADA artists
such as Kurt Schwitters, reached its complete realization in
the Pop Art Movement. Pop art emerged in the 1950s in
Britain and the United States. Pop art challenged
tradition by asserting that an artist’s use of the massproduced visual commodities of popular culture is
contiguous with the perspective of Fine Art. Characterized
by themes and techniques drawn from popular mass culture
such as advertising, comic books and mundane cultural
objects, pop art has been widely interpreted as a reaction
to the then dominant ideas of Abstract Expressionism. Pop
art often draws its inspiration from advertising and product
labeling and logos are often used by pop artists. Andy
Warhol’s prints and paintings of Campbell’s Soup Cans
are an excellent example of this and also demonstrate the
interdependence of text and image. In Campbell’s Tomato
Soup by Warhol the text is absolutely essential in providing
a context for the imagery.
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Art Styles - Word and Image con’t
A second artist extremely important to the
pop art aesthetic was Roy Lichtenstein.
Selecting the old-fashioned comic strip as
subject matter, Lichtenstein produced hardedged, precise compositions that documented
American culture while paroding it in a ‘soft
manner’. The paintings of Lichtenstein, like
those of Andy Warhol and others, have a
direct attachment to the commonplace image
of American popular culture, but also treat the
subject in an impersonal manner illustrating
the idealization of mass production.
Lichtenstein also shares with Warhol an
interest in the symbiotic relationship between
text and image. As seen in the work to the
right, in order for the viewer to begin to
comprehend the story being ‘told’ the
inclusion of text in the work is absolutely
necessary.
Roy Lichtenstein
Perhaps the most literal example of the Pop art
union of text and image is expressed by
Robert Indiana’s iconic New York sculpture
entitled Love. Indiana moved to New York City
in 1954 and joined the pop art movement, using
distinctive imagery drawing on commercial art
approaches that gradually moved toward what he
calls “sculptural poems”. His work often consists
of bold, simple images, especially numbers and
short words like EAT, HUG, and his best known
example, LOVE. This last work was first created
for a Christmas card for the Museum of Modern
Art in 1964. Scluptural versions of the image have
been installed at numerous American and
international locations.
Robert Indiana
Love, 1976
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Word and Image: Cree Syllabics
Cree syllabics are the versions
of Canadian Aboriginal
syllabics used to write Cree
dialects, including the original
syllabics system created for
Cree and Ojibwe. It is estimated
that over 70,000 Algonquinspeaking people use the script,
from Hudson’s Bay in the east,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Cree_syllabics
the US border to Mackenzie and Kewatin in the north.
Cree syllabics were developed by James Evans, a missionary in what is now Manitoba,
during the 1830s for the Ojibwe language. When Evans later worked with the closely related
Cree in 1840 he adapted his earlier work to the Cree language. The result contained just nine
glyph shapes, each of which stood for a syllable with the vowels determined by the
orientations of these shapes. Each basic shape corresponds to a specific consonant sound and
this is flipped or rotated to denote the accompanying vowel. Like the Latin alphabet, syllabics
are written from left to right, with each new line of writing directly under the previous one. With
the 1841 publication of a syllabics hymnbook, the new script spread quickly and virtually all Cree
became literate in the new syllabary within a few years.
The syllabary developed by Evans continues in use for dialects of Cree west of the ManitobaOntario border as Western Cree syllabics. In the 1850s modifications were introduced in the
James Bay area which were standardized in 1865 to form Eastern Cree syllabics. The two
versions differ primarily in the way they indicate syllable-final consonants, in how they mark the
semi-vowel /w/, and in how they reflect the phonological differences between Cree dialects.
Cree syllabics was used for manuscripts, letters, and personal
records since the 18th century. The need for special type,
however, long restricted printed syllabics to missionary
publications. With the development of syllabic typewriters and
later word processors, however, control of the script passed to
native speakers and it is now used for schoolbooks,
periodicals, and official documents.
Mary Jane Houle
Horse Shield, 2010
Mixed media on canvas
Collection of the artist
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Art History - The Art of Portraiture
A portrait is a picture of a person or a group of
people (or even an animal) and many artworks in the
exhibition Creator Paints the World...The Colour
of Our Voice explore this genre of artmaking. Before
the camera was invented artists created portraits for
the same reasons we take photographs today - to
record how a person or animal looks. Portraiture
can also make reference to the subject’s character,
social position, wealth or profession. The history of
portraiture spans most of the history of Western art.
The first representations of identifiable individuals date
from the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt around
3100 BC. During the Old Kingdom (2575-2134 BC) the
rigid, stylized portraits of Egypt were meant to convey
eternal authority and power. During the New Kingdom
(1550-1070 BC) more naturalistic portraits were made.
Some scholars feel that the first real portraits - images
depicting the unidealized appearances of specific
individuals - date from this period.
From ancient Egypt through to the 19th century
portraiture focused either on natural representation
or a concern with expressing power, social position or
demonstrating patronage. Photography revolutionized
the history of portraiture as the camera was thought to
reproduce reality almost exactly.
Lana Whiskeyjack
George 2010
Oil on canvas
Collection of the artist
In the late 19th century, it was thought that the invention of photography freed the artist from
the need to reproduce reality and the artist could focus on other concerns.. An artist can often
reveal the inner qualities of a person through the manner in which he/she paints them. The
artist can also create an ideal or an abstraction. They may intentionally alter the appearance
of their subject by embellishing or minimizing particular qualities, whether these are physical,
psychological or social.
Ivan Whiskeyjack
Native Spirit, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
Collection of the artist
Mary Jane Houle
Untitled, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
Collection of the artist
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Art History, Styles and Processes:
Print-making
Print-making is a process used by Alsena White in the exhibition Creator Paints the
World...The Colour of Our Voice. Print-making involves transferring an image from one
surface to another. It is unlike painting and drawing because the original work is created on the
metal plate, wood or stone used rather than on paper or canvas and the artist can make several
copies or editions of the same image. A print is made by creating a design on a selected base/
ground such as stone, wood or metal, which is then inked and pressed against paper thus
leaving an image. Print-making is not to be confused with a reproduction. Reproductions are
just what the name implies: copies of original works of art. An original print will be made by the
artist in a limited edition, numbered and signed by the artist. A reproduction, on the other hand,
is actually a photographic copy of an original, printed for commercial issue. Original prints are
printed on high quality paper whereas reproductions are usually printed on a semi-glossy paper
of quite low quality.
Print-making originated in China after the invention of paper, around 105 A.D.
One method of print-making is called Relief Printing. Relief Processes in print making
include the methods of wood cuts, wood engravings, and linoleum (lino) cuts. In both
wood cuts and wood engraving, the artist cuts into a wood block (called the matrix) to achieve
the desired image. Fruitwoods such as cherry, apple and pear, and some hardwoods like box,
sycamore and dogwood are desired because of their density and durability. The wood block may
be sawn either length wise with the grain (side wood) or across the grain (end wood). The two
different cuts result in two different techniques called wood cut, which uses side wood, and wood
engraving, which utilizes end wood. The use of wood cut is seen in the work Child and Blackbird
by James Agrell Smith.
Woodcuts are the oldest technique for making
prints. A wood cut is characterized by large areas of
black and white and a lack of very fine detail. Because
of the lengthwise run of the grain, it is very difficult to
incise a finely controlled line. This contrasts a wood
engraving where, because of the smoothness and
absence of grain in end wood, may have very fine lines
engraved into it. The basic tool used in wood cuts is a
gouge which is used to remove wood from either side
of the desired line. In this manner it allows the line to
stand free from the lowered surface. It is these raised
lines which hold the ink which is transferred to the
paper to create the image. If shading should be
required in the work, tinting tools may be employed.
These are small V shaped instruments which will cut a
trench in the wood with a single stroke. With patience,
care and ability the tinting tools may be used to
produce crosshatches in the wood.
James Agrell Smith
Child and Blackbird, 1975
Woodcut on paper
Collection of the Alberta Foundation for the
Arts
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Art History, Styles and Processes:
Print-making continued
Lino cuts, the method used to create the print
Feather by Alsena White in the exhibition Creator
Paints the World...The Colour of Our Voice, are
created in much the same way as wood cuts.The
main difference in creating a print is that instead
of using wood as the matrix, the artist uses a
panel of linoleum. Because cutting into linoleum
is easier than cutting into hard wood, a variety of
cutting tools are used to create a much greater
variety of lines in terms of depth, width, and
refinement.
Alsena White
Feather, 2010
Lino cut on paper
Collection of the artist
The image of the feather which forms the focal point in White’s linocut has great
significance. As expressed by the artist:
When I was working on the feather linoleum cut I was feeling that I needed to lighten myself
because at the time I was going through some challenges. Art is a meditative and healing
process. The feather was an image that helped to strengthen my heart and mind. The feather
gives me strength. The significance of the feather is a powerful message. We use feathers in
our regalia because long ago we were close to the animals. Each animal had a significant gift
and meaning. Receiving a feather is a honour. We are proud to wear them. We earned feathers
through acts of kindness, courage, love, wisdom, honesty. It is also significant in prayer. We use
the feather in prayer and meditation to help us connect and communicate with a higher power.
The lines I used was like putting ancestry, or the helpers through the marks to create an energy.
Alsena White
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Art History, Styles and Processes:
Relief Sculpture
Relief Sculpture or relief carving is a type of
sculpture in which form projects from a
background and is a type of art making
investigated by Ivan Whiskeyjack in the exhibition
Creator Paints the World...The Colour of Our
Voice. This type of woodcarving is as old as
antiquity and combines many features of the twodimensional pictorial arts and the threedimensional sculptural arts. On the one hand a
relief, like a picture, is dependent on a supporting
surface and its composition must be extended in
a plane in order to be visible. On the other hand,
its three-dimensional properties are not merely
represented pictorially but are, to varying degrees,
actual, like those of a fully developed sculpture.
Ivan Whiskeyjack
Mistatim, 2010
Mixed media relief
Collection of the artist
Some types of relief, such as seen in Classical Greek art, are conceived primarily in sculptural
terms. The figures inhabit a space that is defined by the solid forms of the figures themselves
and is limited by the background plane. This back plane is treated as a finite, impenetrable
barrier and the figures exist in front of it. It is not conceived as a receding perspective space
within which the figures are placed nor as a flat surface upon which they are placed. The reliefs
in this case are more like contracted sculpture than expanded pictures. Other types of relief
approach very closely the condition of the pictorial arts. The reliefs of early Renaissance artists
such as Lorenzo Ghiberti, for example, make full use of perspective which is a pictorial method
of representing three-dimensional spatial relationships realistically on a two-dimensional
surface.
Treasury of Siphnos frieze, 525 BC
Delphi Archaeological Museum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_
sculpture
Lorenzo Ghiberti
The Gates of Paradise, 1401-1422, detail
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzo_
Ghiberti
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Art History, Styles and Processes:
Relief Sculpture continued
In relief sculpture, the extent to which forms actually project varies considerably, and
reliefs are classified on this basis. There are four styles of relief carving:
1/ Low relief, usually under 1/2 inch in depth
2/ Bas relief, usually between 1/2 inch and 2 inches in depth
3/ Deep relief, usually over 2 inches in depth
4/ Pierced relief, where holes are carved clear through the wood
The forms of low relief usually make contact with the background all around their contours. The
forms of high relief, on the other hand, project far enough to be in some degree independent of
their background. As they approach the fullness of sculpture in the round they become, of
necessity, considerably undercut.
Many different degrees of projection are often combined in one relief composition. Figures in the
foreground may be completely detached and fully in the round while those in the middle distance
are in about half relief and those in the background in low relief. Such effects are common in late
Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque sculpture.
In discussing the sculpture Mistatim the artist, Ivan Whiskeyjack, states that
....(he) used the hard wood because it was the only material I had to work with at the time. I
found it very challenging because it was hard to cut and wore out some of the little grinders I
was using. Also, it was very easy to break at a certain point in the cutting. But I was determined
to finish my horse sculpture and got it completed. I chose the horse to sculpt because the horse
is part of our native ancestry. Our ancestors used the horse as a means of survival. I also grew
up with a family that had horses and which we used for our transportation and also a means of
obtaining wild game.
Ivan Whiskeyjack
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Visual Learning and
Hands-On
Artmaking
Lana Whiskeyjack
Kahkakow, 2009
Ceramic, acrylic paint
Collection of the artist
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Introduction to the Elements of Design Tour
The following pages provide definitions and examples of the elements and principles of art that
are used by artists in the images found in the exhibition. The elements of art are components
of a work of art that can be isolated and defined. They are the building blocks used to create a
work of art.
*Use this tour to better understand the purpose of the artist’s choices!
LINE!
SHAPE!
COLOUR!
TEXTURE!
SPACE!
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Elements of Composition Tour
LINE: An element of art that is used to define shape, contours and outlines. It is also
used to suggest mass and volume.
See: Legend, 2010 by Terrance McGilvery
What types of lines are there? What are some characteristics of a line?
Width: thick, thin, tapering, uneven
Length: long, short, continuos, broken
Direction: horizontal, vertical, diagonal, curving, perpendicular, oblique, parallel, zigzag
Focus: sharp, blurry, fuzzy, choppy
Feeling: sharp, jagged, graceful, smooth
Now, describe the lines you see in this image. What lines do you see first? Follow these
lines in the air with your finger. What quality do these lines have? Are they thick or thin?
What direction are they going?
Lines we see in this image are thick, thin, dotted, continuous and broken. There is a wide variety
of lines in all six compositions. Lines that may stand out are bold and thick. An example can
be seen in the top left image, a line representing the man’s spear. As we follow this line with
our finger, it leads our eye in to the next image to the right. The variety of lines allow our eye
to travel across the image and as we move across to the 3rd portrait on the right, the parallel,
vertical lines lead us down to the drawing on the bottom right.
How do the lines help your eye to travel throughout the series of images?
Our eye travels in the direction of the lines and directs our attention to the subject of the next
drawing. In this instance, our eyes travel in a clockwise pattern around the images.
How would you describe the style of the font used in the writing? Why do you think the
artist chose this style?
The font is fluid and graceful. The artist may have chosen this font because of the feeling it may
give the reader. The script reminds us of the 19th century and may reflect the historical scene
depicted through the images. The smooth uninterupted lines convey a sense of the time period
that influence our perceptions of the story that the artist may be telling.
How else do the variety of lines contribute to what is happening within the images?
The lines within each composition are chosen to take on the character or subject they represent.
For example, the bold, thick, dark lines seen in the wolf and the bison may reflect the powerful
strength of the animals. By contrast, the soft, wispy lines shown in the sky, the grasses and the
feathers give a subtle and calm portrayal of the objects or elements they represent.
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Elements of Composition Tour
SHAPE: When a line crosses itself or intersects with other lines to enclose a space it creates a
shape. Shape is two-dimensional. It has height and width but no depth.
See: Art and Ceremony, 2010 by George Giant
What kind of shapes can you think of?
Geometric: circles, squares, rectangles. We see these shapes in architecture and manufactured items.
Organic: a leaf, seashell, flower. We see organic shapes in nature with characteristics that are freeflowing,
informal and irregular.
Static: shapes that appear stable and resting.
Dynamic: shapes that appear moving and active.
What shapes do you see in this image? How would you describe them?
The shapes we see in this image are mostly organic shapes because they are irregular, casual and uneven.
We can see an oval with a large triangle that is attached to a pair of semi circles above an irregular shaped
rectangle.
What shape or symbol do you recognize? What do the shapes remind you of?
We also recognize the shape of hearts that are centred within the figure. Hearts are often symbols of love. The
oval and triangle shapes remind us of a figure. The semi circles remind us of an earth, a sun, or possibly a
dwelling.
What quality or feeling do these shapes have? How much space do these shapes take up within the
composition? Why are some shapes repeated and others not?
The shape of the figure takes up half of the composition making it the most dominant shape in the picture. It is
treated in a very stylized manner, being a symbol of a human or spiritual being rather than a specific individual.
Such simplification is also witnessed in the central heart element and the representation of the sweat lodge.
Both the heart and the semi circle shapes are repeated. These repeated shapes unite the various elements of
the painting and provide the work with an overall sense of energy.
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Elements of Composition Tour
COLOUR: Colour comes from light that is reflected off objects. Colour has three main
characteristics: Hue, or its name (red, blue, etc.) Value (how light or dark the colour is) and Intensity
(how bright or dull the colour is).
See: Chicken Dance, 2010 by Ivan Whiskeyjack
What are primary colours? Do you see any in this image? Point to them
in the painting. What are secondary colours? Do you see any in the painting?
Colour is made of primary colours, red, blue and yellow. We can see blues of different value ranging from light
to dark in the clothing worn on the figures. We see an intense yellow on the trunk and limbs of the trees beside
and behind the figures, on some clothing as well as a drum.Secondary colours are orange, violet and green.
Primary colours are mixed to form secondary colours. Secondary colours we can see include the orange in the
sky, different values of green on some clothing as well as various shades and intensities of green in the grass
and trees.
What colour would you say you see first in this image? What are the reasons why your eye is drawn to
some colours over others?
Our eye may be drawn to the orange in the painting first. Reasons why may include: orange makes up possibly
half of the entire composition. Also, orange is a warm colour and tends to stand out within the composition. As
a viewer we tend to see the warmer colours before the cooler ones.
Describe warm and cool colours. Is the image mostly composed of warm or cool colours or both?
Warm colours include reds, yellows and orange. Cool colours include blues, violets and greens. The image is
somewhat divided equally between both warm and cool colours.
How has the artist used complementary colours? What effect do you think this has on the image? Do
you notice the standing figures before those sitting on the ground? Why?
Complementary colours are those opposite on the colour wheel. For example, red and green are complements.
When placed next to each other these colours look bright and create contrast and focus. When we see
complementary colours in an artwork it tends to draw attention to that area. For example, the figures standing
wearing blue draws our attention significantly because they are contrasted with the orange sky.
What are analogous colours? Explain the different effect these colours have when placed next to each
other.
Analogous colours are those which are side by side on the colour wheel. Red and orange, for example, are
analogous. In this work we notice the sitting figures much later because the colour they are against is not a
complementary colour. Blue and green are therefore analogous colours and do not create a strong visual
impact.
What is value? Where has the artist used value within the work? Why do you think the artist decided to
create many shades and tints of blue? How may it unify the composition? What could it mean?
Value is created by adding white to make colour lighter (tint) and black to make it darker (shade). Colour value
is seen throughout the work by the use of colour mixing to form tints and shades. Creating a range of tints and
shades of blue for example, allows your eye to travel across the painting unifying elements together and draws
attention to each area because it is different from the colour next to it. Creating a range of colour as well as
repeating colour creates a sense of unity in the work.
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Elements of Design Tour
TEXTURE: Texture is the surface quality of an object that can be seen or felt. Texture
can be implied on a two-dimensional surface.
See: Art Nouveau Study, 2010 by Mary Jane Houle
What is texture? How can you describe how something feels? What are the two kinds of
texture you can think of in an artwork?
Texture can be real, like the actual texture of an object. Texture can be rough, smooth, hard,
soft, glossy, etc. Texture can also be implied. This happens when a two-dimensional piece of art
is made to look like a certain texture.
Describe the areas within the painting that have actual texture.
Hair: course and rough
Beads: bumpy
Medallion: smooth
Ribbon: soft
Feather: silky
Why do artists create real or implied texture in their work?
Artists may create real or implied texture in their work to give it added visual interest or to evoke
a feeling.
What is the texture of the hair and beads? How would you imply this texture in a
painting? What kinds of mark-making would you use?
We can see the the texture of the hair is rough. The artist has repeated this feeling of roughness
in the way she has applied the paint to the surface. The bumpy and ‘messy’ , ‘scratchy’, ‘coarse’
brushmarks she has used are meant to imply the texture of the actual hair. The actual texture of
the beads are bumpy. To imply this texture with paint, Mary Jane Houle has applied thick dots of
white paint on the front of the figure.
How has the artist created contrast within this artwork by using texture?
There are many areas of texture that catch our attention because of the interesting surface
quality. To create contrast within the work, Mary Jane Houle has varied the surface throughout
the composition by placing smooth textures next to rough textures.
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Elements of Design Tour
SPACE: The area between and around objects. It can also refer to the feeling of depth
in a two-dimensional artwork.
See: Art and Ceremony Study, 2010 by Alsena White
What creates space? What kind of space do you see in this image?
Space in a two-dimensional drawing or painting refers to the arrangement of objects on the
picture plane. In this painting we see figures in an outdoor space. We recognize the shapes
surrounding the figures as a landscape with mountains.
What technique is used on a two-dimensional surface to achieve the illusion of depth?
What creates a sense of depth in the painting?
The illusion of depth or space can be achieved by using perspective. This is the technique when
objects are arranged so that it appears like they are moving into the distance like a landscape
or cityscape. Within the painting the illusion of depth is created a number of ways. Alsena White
has divided her composition into a foreground, midground and background by using horizontal
lines that divide the painting into three unequal but distinct parts. This gives the illusion that the
lowest area of the composition is closest to the viewer and the upper section, that portrays the
mountains and sky, is the furthest away. The size and placement of these elements also help
to portray a sense of depth and space. Mountains, for example, are much larger that people.
In this painting, however, the people are larger than the mountains which makes them appear
closer to the viewer.
What is negative space? Point out the negative space in the painting. How has the artist
painted the negative space differently than the positive space? What could be the reason
for this? How does this technique contribute to the sense of space in the work?
The negative space is the area around the figures and objects. Without the negative space we
could not determine where the setting for the painting could be. The treatment of the negative
space is much different than the objects, meaning the way the paint has been applied to the
surface varies. The negative space is painted very consistent with no change in the direction of
the brushstroke. This allows the detail applied to the surface of the positive shapes to stand out
against the landscape.
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Principles of Design Tour
The principles of art are combinations of two or more of the elements of art. They help
artists to plan their compositions to have an impact on the expressive content, meaning
and viewer’s reaction to the image. Understanding both the elements and principles of
art will help students to better understand the purpose of an artist’s choices.
A design principle that is important in the work seen in the exhibition Creator Paints the
World... The Colour of Our Voice is that of PATTERN.
See: Horse Shield, 2010 by Mary Jane Houle
What is “pattern”? How would you describe it in an artwork? Where can we see the use
of pattern in Horse Shield?
Pattern is the repeating of an object, symbol, or shape throughout the artwork. Visual patterns
are very common such as simple decorative patterns (stripes, zigzags, and polka-dots) and
these may repeat in a predictable manner. In the artwork by Mary Jane Houle we can see
the use of pattern in the script and the repeating white dots. Even the floral elements used
throughout the work form a pattern.
What are some reasons for using patterning in an artwork?
Artwork can represent the decorative arrangement of natural or imagined forms. Mary Jane
Houle is using colour, motif, form, light, shadow, and dimension to convey a message or feeling
through her artwork. The repeated natural elements seen in the flowers and branches allow
the viewer to create a setting where the story being represented may take place. The pattern of
the white dots may represent something imagined and function to help the viewer’s eye travel
across the work.
Where do you see the use of pattern being repeated through out the works in the
exhibition?
Mary Jane Houle often repeats elements of pattern throughout other artworks included in the
exhibition. As an example, we can notice the repeated floral motifs, colours, white decorative
dots, and script. Her use of pattern and repetition is creating rhythm in the artwork as repeating
elements will cause the eye to move from one area of the work to the other. The rhythm created
through the use of these patterns make the artwork seem active and full of energy.
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Reading Pictures Tour
Grades 4-12/adults
Objectives:
The purposes of this program are to:
1/introduce participants tp Art and what artists do – this includes examinations of art styles; art
elements; the possible aims and meaning(s) in an art work and how to deduce those meanings
and aims
2/ introduce visitors to the current exhibition – the aim of the exhibition and the kind of exhibition/
artwork found in the exhibition
- the artist (s) - his/her background(s)
- his/her place in art history
3/ engage participants in a deeper investigation of artworks
Teacher/Facilitator Introduction to Program:
This program is called Reading Pictures. What do you think this might involve?
-generate as many ideas as possible concerning what viewers might think ‘Reading Pictures’
might involve or what this phrase might mean.
Before we can ‘read’ art. however, we should have some understanding what we’re talking
about.
What is Art? If you had to define this term, how would you define it?
Art can be defined as creative expression - and artistic practice is an aspect and expression of a
peoples’ culture or the artist’s identity.
The discipline of Art, or the creation of a piece of art, however, is much more than simple
‘creative expression’ by an ‘artist’ or an isolated component of culture.
How many of you would describe yourselves as artists?
You may not believe it, but everyday you engage in some sort of artistic endeavor.
How many of you got up this morning and thought about what you were going to wear today?
Why did you choose the clothes you did? Why do you wear your hair that way? How many
of you have tattoos or plan to get a tattoo some day? What kind of tattoo would you choose?
Why.....? How many of you own digital cameras or have cameras on cell phones? How many of
you take pictures and e-mail them to other people?
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Reading Pictures Tour continued
Art is all around us and we are all involved in artistic endeavors to some degree. The
photographs we take, the colour and styles of the clothes we wear, the ways we build and
decorate our homes, gardens and public buildings, the style of our cell phones or the vehicles
we drive, the images we see and are attracted to in advertising or the text or symbols on our
bumper stickers – all of these things (and 9 billion others) utilize artistic principles. They say
something about our personal selves and reflect upon and influence the economic, political,
cultural, historical and geographic concerns of our society.
Art, therefore, is not just something some people in a society do – it is something that affects
and informs everyone within a society.
Today we’re going to look at art - paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures – and see what art can
tell us about the world we live in – both the past, the present and possibly the future – and what
art can tell us about ourselves.
Art is a language like any other and it can be read.
Art can be read in two ways. It can be looked at intuitively – what do you see? What do you like
or not like? How does it make you feel and why? – or it can be read formally by looking at what
are called the Elements of Design – the tools artists use or consider when creating a piece of
work.
What do you think is meant by the elements of design? What does an artist use to create a work
of art?
Today we’re going to examine how to read art – we’re going to see how art can affect us
emotionally... and how an artist can inform us about our world, and ourselves, through what he
or she creates.
Tour Program:
- Proceed to one of the works in the exhibition and discuss the following:
a) the nature of the work - what kind of work is it and what exhibition is it a part of?
b) examine the work itself
– ­What do visitors see?
– How do you initially feel about what you see? Why do you feel
this way? What do you like? What don’t you like? Why?
– What is the work made of?
– How would you describe the style? What does this mean?
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Reading Pictures Tour continued
–What is the compositional structure? How are the shapes and colours etc. arranged? Why are
they arranged this way?
–How does the work make them feel? What is the mood of the work? What gives them
this idea? Discuss the element(s) of design which are emphasized in the work in question.
–What might the artist be trying to do in the work? What might the artist be saying or
what might the work ‘mean’?
c) Summarize the information
• At each work chosen, go through the same or similar process, linking the work to the
type of exhibition it is a part of. Also, with each stop, discuss a different Element of
Design and develop participants visual learning skills.
At the 1st stop, determine with the participants the most important Element of Design
used and focus the discussion on how this element works within the art work. Do the
same with each subsequent art work and make sure to cover all the elements of design
on the tour.
Stop #1: LINE
Stop #2: SHAPE
Stop #3: COLOUR
Stop #4: TEXTURE
Stop #5: SPACE
Stop #6: ALL TOGETHER – How do the elements work together to create a certain mood
or story? What would you say is the mood of this work? Why? What is the story or
meaning or meaning of this work? Why?
Work sheet activity – 30 minutes
•Divide participants into groups of two or three to each do this activity. Give them 30 minutes to
complete the questions then bring them all together and have each group present one of their
pieces to the entire group.
Presentations – 30 minutes
•Each group to present on one of their chosen works.
Visual Learning Activity Worksheet * Photocopy the following worksheet so each
participant has their own copy.
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Reading Pictures Tour continued
Visual Learning Worksheet
Instructions: Choose two very different pieces of artwork in the exhibition and answer
the following questions in as much detail as you can.
1. What is the title of the work and who created it?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What do you see and what do you think of it? (What is your initial reaction to the
work?) Why do you feel this way?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
3. What colours do you see and how does the use of colour affect the way you ‘read’
the work? Why do you think the artist chose these colours – or lack of colour – for this
presentation?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. What shapes and objects do you notice most? Why?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Reading Pictures Tour continued
5. How are the shapes/objects arranged or composed? How does this affect your
feelings towards or about the work? What feeling does this composition give to the
work?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
6. How would you describe the mood of this work? (How does it make you feel?) What
do you see that makes you describe the mood in this way?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
7. What do you think the artist’s purpose was in creating this work? What ‘story’ might he
or she be telling? What aspects of the artwork give you this idea?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
8. What do you think about this work after answering the above questions? Has your
opinion of the work changed in any way? Why do you feel this way?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
9. How might this work relate to your own life experiences? Have you ever been in a
similar situation/place and how did being there make you feel?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Perusing Paintings–An Artful Scavenger Hunt
In teaching art, game-playing can enhance learning. If students are engaged in learning, through
a variety of methods, then it goes beyond game-playing. Through game-playing we are trying to
get students to use higher-order thinking skills by getting them to be active participants in
learning. Blooms’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, which follows, is as applicable to
teaching art as any other discipline.
1. knowledge: recall of facts
2. comprehension: participation in a discussion
3. application: applying abstract informatrion in practical situatrions
4. analysis: separating an entity into its parts
5. synthesis: creating a new whole from many parts, an in developing a complex work of art
6. evaluation: making judgements on criteria
A scavenger hunt based on art works is a fun and engaging way to get students of any age to
really look at the art works and begin to discern what the artist(s) is/are doing in the works. The
simple template provided, however, would be most suitable for grade 1-3 students.
Instruction:
Using the exhibition works provided, give students a list of things they should search for that are
in the particular works of art. The students could work with a partner or in teams. Include a blank
for the name of the artwork, the name of the artist, and the year the work was created. Following
the hunt, galther students together in the exhibition area and check the answers and discuss the
particular works in more detail.
Sample List:
Scavenger Hunt Item
Title of Artwork
Name of Artist
Year Work Created
someone wearing a hat
a specific animal
landscape
a bright red object
a night scene
a house
*This activity was adapted from A Survival Kit for the Elementary/Middle School Art Teacher by Helen D. Hume
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
An Artful Scavenger Hunt template
Name of Artist
Title of Artwork
Scavenger Hunt Item
Year Work
Created
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Community Constructions
Grades 1-6
* see work by Mary Jane Houle, Alsena White and Ivan Whiskeyjack from the exhibition
Creator Paints the World...The Colour of Our Voice
Objectives: Through the studio project students will:
- examine the concept of community both cognitively and creatively
- examine the art principles of repetition; patterning; balance; unity and focus
- investigate the concept of symbolism
Materials:
- coloured construction paper (one full sheet - 8.5 X 11 or larger - and scraps)
- scissors
- glue/glue sticks
- felt markers/tempera paints
- rulers
Methodology:
1. Students to plan a design focusing on a particular community and their feelings/ideas
regarding that community. Examples of communities to examine: home life; neighbourhood;
town/village/city; sports teams or other groups etc.
2. Students to simplify their design to 3-5 forms which will be repeated.
3. Using coloured construction paper, students to create the main elements of their composition,
again focusing on the repetition of the forms.
4. Students to arrange their repeated forms on a background piece of coloured construction
paper, considering balance, movement around the piece, focus.
5. Once the forms are arranged to satisfaction, students to glue them down on the paper.
6. Using felt markers or tempera paint, students to create repeated designs which provide focus
to the main elements and further the concept of repetition. Students should consider the use of
words and symbols as unifying and linking elements in this final stage.
Home is Where the Heart Is
Student Sample
Construction paper and felt markers
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Boxed Heritage Portraits
All Grades
Concept:
A portrait is often done in the form of a painting, drawing or sculpture that has some
resemblance to the artist. You can also use “found” objects to create a self-portrait. Instead of
showing how you look to others, your self-portrait could reflect your cultural heritage and family
history.
Objectives:
Students will create a collage work that will creatively express themselves. Through the activity
students will also:
– learn what the elements of design are
– learn how the elements of design are used in art work
– apply their knowledge to other works in the exhibition
Materials:
– any found materials that represent the student’s family and heritage in some way. These may
include glossy magazine images, cloth, keys, wrappers, toys, photographs etc.
– a shoe box
– glue
– a piece of plexiglas for each student that fits the opening of the box (clear plastic wrap could
be used instead of plexi glass - stretch the wrap over the opening of the box and tape around
sides
– tape
Methodology:
1. Find different objects and materials in the classroom or from home that reflect the students’
cultural heritage. Students should look for things they like, things that reflect feelings, etc.
Students should try to find objects they feel represent them and their family in some way and
have personal meaning.
2. Each student will receive a shoe box which may be positioned vertically or horizontally.
3. Students will arrange their objects within the shoe box considering the following questions
concerning their composition:
– Does it make a difference if some objects are larger than others?
– Does spacing of objects and overlapping of objects make a difference in how the viewer
“reads” the work?
– Should there be a background, middleground and foreground to the boxed portrait?
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Mixed Media Assemblage Sculpture
This activity is inspired by the works Art Nouveau Study by Mary Jane Houle and Mah! by
Lana Whiskeyjack, found in the exhibition Creator Paints the World...The Colour of Our
Voice.
Objective
To create an assemblage sculpture that requires personal thought and reflection. Students will
assemble a relief composition based on the work of Joseph Cornell using a variety of found objects.
Background
Assemblage is an artistic process in which a three-dimensional artistic composition is made from
putting together found objects. Joseph Cornell (1903 – 1972) was an American artist and sculptor,
one of the pioneers of assemblage, and remains one of the most influential artists for this type of art.
Cornell’s most characteristic art works were boxed assemblages created from found objects. These
are simple boxes, usually glass-fronted, in which he arranged surprising collections of photographs
or small ornamental objects. Many of his boxes are interactive and are meant to be handled.
Procedure
Collect things that create a theme that are a reflection of you and your personality. Sort through your
found objects to gain an idea for your creation then build upon them.
You will make an assemblage sculpture that may take on the following forms:
1) in a wooden box, similar to the work of Joseph Cornell
2) freestanding / full round
Themes you could consider:
1) symbolic self-portrait
2) good vs. evil
3) importance of family
4) human life cycle
5) struggle against nature
6) social, political, environmental, economic issues
Materials
–Found objects
–Wood frame, cardboard base or shoebox
–Hot glue guns and glue sticks –Paints or collage materials
–Any items that will embellish a reflection
of you and your personality
Hotel Eden, Joseph Cornell
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Create Your Own Plaster Mask Grade 7-12
This activity is based on the work Art Nouveau Study by Mary Jane Houle, found in the
exhibition Creator Paints the World...The Colour of Our Voice. The focus in this work is
the mask image which peers out at the viewer. To create this element the artist made a
plaster mask of her brother’s face.
Background
Working in partners, this art activity will provide an opportunity for students to explore 3
dimensional art making to express personal, community, familial, or societal identity and
meaning. This activity can be easily adapted for older students to investigate the reasons for the
universal appeal of mask making. After studying the use of masks in various cultures, students
create their own mask.
Materials
- Roll of plaster gauze strips
(can be found at medical supply stores)
- 1 Cup of DRY Plaster of Paris
- 2-3 bowls
- warm water
- petroleum jelly
- scissors
- paper towels
- clean up soap & towel
- mirror
Mary Jane Houle
Art Nouveau Study, 2010
Mixed media on canvas
Collection of the artist
Procedure
1. Begin by having students tie back hair from their face as well as possible.
2. Apply a good even coating of petroleum jelly to the entire face –being sure to put extra along
hair line, on eyebrows, eyelashes, and lips.
3. In one of your plastic bowls, put about 1/2C of warm or cool water and sprinkle in about 1/3c
Plaster of Paris (Always add plaster to the water, not the other way around). This light plaster/
water mixer makes a smoother finish (and a faster set time) for the plaster gauze strips.
4. Dip one plaster strip at a time into the water/plaster mixture and apply to face (start along
outside of face).
5. Make sure each strip overlaps with previous strip and smooth into close contact with face
with your fingers. Arrange smaller pieces around the nostril area early on so that your subject is
certain of his/her ability to breathe.
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Create Your Own Plaster Mask continued
6. Having the eyes and mouth covered with plaster depends on what you or the student wants for
the finished mask. If you want a mask with a screaming mouth for example, you might want to leave
the lips free of plaster.If you want an inner mask, often the eyes closed (covered) is more powerful.
Let the subject know when you are about to cover the eyes or mouth, taking care to smooth the wet
strips into place so you get a good mold.
7. Cover all areas of the face and make sure to smooth out the plaster. This is also a good time to
take a photo of the students before the mask comes off.
8. The mask becomes hard enough to come off in about 12-15 minutes or less. Have students
gently pull the mask down and away from the face.
9. Once the mask is completely dry and the edges of the mask have been trimmed, students can
decide how to continue to develop their mask. For instance, to leave the original feel of the material,
use a clear acrylic sealer such as gloss medium or matte medium.
Or, to prime it first to smooth out the texture use gesso first, then paint it with acrylic paints. Use the
sealer after for a protective coat if necessary.
10. Before students add multi media, have them sketch out a few of their ideas as thumbnail
sketches to decide what the best effect might be as an end result.
Try experimenting with glue, feathers, sequins, glitter, buttons, bits of paper, ribbon, magazine
pages, etc. Students may also want to build up or exaggerate areas of their mask using more
plaster gauze.
Student examples www.artlex.com
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Louise Nevelson inspired found object relief project
This activity is inspired by the works Art Nouveau Study by Mary Jane Houle, Mah! by
Lana Whiskeyjack, and Mistatim by Ivan Whiskeyjack, found in the exhibition Creator
Paints the World...The Colour of Our Voice.
Objective
Louise Nevelson (1899-1988) was a great figure in postwar American art, exerting great
influence with her monumental installations, innovative sculpture made of found wood objects,
and celebrated public art. She was recognized during her lifetime as one of America’s most
distinguished artists, and her work continues to inspire contemporary sculptors today. Nevelson
is well known for assembling “crates” grouped together to form new creations, then painted in a
uniform colour to unite the objects.
“When you put together things that other people have thrown out, you’re really bringing them to
life – a spiritual life that surpasses the life for which they were originally created.”--Nevelson
Materials
broken toys, mismatched legos, doll parts, various plastic and cardboard objects of various
sizes and shapes
Procedure
1. Acquire some sturdy cardboard as the base for your sculpture. You can used regular old
cardboard and cut it down to the size you wanted to work with. We worked with a 9 X 12 piece.
2. Arrange your classroom so you have three working stations: one to assemble, one to glue
with hot glue gun and the third for painting. This will make life easier for you because there are
always students who rush through their work, and others who are very meticulous.
3. After showing students examples of Nevelson’s work, have students search for found objects
they wanted to work with.
4. Encourage students to explore different arrangements just as Nevelson did and explain the
concept of high, low and sunken relief sculpture. Give examples of these types of relief
sculpture.
5. Instruct students how to properly use hot glue.
6. When glue is dry, students will paint a coat of primer over their sculptures so that the paint
will adhere to all objects within their relief sculpture. You may also want to mix a shade of
charcoal grey, similar to Louise Nevelson.
7. Encourage students to work carefully and precisely with the glue and primer. After the primer
coat is dry, they need to paint using the charcoal grey colour.
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Louise Nevelson inspired found
object relief project continued
Relief sculpture: A type of sculpture in
which form projects from a background.
There are three degrees or types of relief:
high, low, and sunken. In high relief, the
forms stand far out from the background. In
low relief (best known as bas-relief), they
are shallow. In sunken relief, also called
hollow or intaglio, the backgrounds are not
cut back and the points in highest relief are
level with the original surface of the material
being carved.
3rd grade student example based on the work of
Louise Nevelson
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Lino-cut Relief Prints
Lino Cuts and the following activity on Styrofoam Printing are relief methods of
print-making. In these methods the image is created by cutting into a sheet of linoleum
or styrofoam to create the image. When this plate is inked, the ink sits on the surface or
on the raised areas. The areas which do not hold ink show up white in printing and this
forms the image. In the exhibition Creator Paints the World...The Colour of Our Voice,
linocut is used by Alsena White to create the work Feather.
Grades 9 to 12
Objectives:
Students will, through the studio activity, gain an
understanding of:
a) What a print is (multiple images).
b) How to create a linocut print image.
Alsena White
Feather, 2010
Linocut
Collection of the artist
Materials:
– a piece of line for each student (approx. 5”x7” in size– while the lino can be any size, if it is too
large, the process, which is quite involved, could prove frustrating for many students.)
– hot plate and tin dish for heating the lino plate (to create ease of cutting).–lino cutters (different
sizes if possible)
–block printing watercolour inks
–small Plexiglas pieces to roll the ink out on
–brayers (one per Plexiglas piece)
–pencils
–drawing paper
–newsprint for proofing lino plates
–construction paper or cartridge paper -two 8x10 pieces per students (for good prints)
–spoons or other pressing implement
–still life/landscape materials or an image based on the exhibition Creator Paints the World...
The Colour of Our Voice.
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Lino-cut Relief Prints continued
Methodology:
1. Using drawing paper, have students create a still life or landscape drawing.
*Drawing encourages students to think about subject matter. Ask what they are
interested in drawing in the still life/landscape or an image based on what they saw in the
exhibition.
2. Have the students draw at least two small images that they would like to print and have them
show examples of what they draw on paper before they make their plate.
3. Demonstrate the use of lino as the plate and how to cut into the lino with a linocutter to
create their image (remember, the marks cut do not go through the plate but only indent it or
create grooves.) *Heat up the lino in the tin dish prior to cutting into it but DO NOT leave the lino
on the dish unsupervised. Turn off the heat before placing the lino in the dish and leave the lino
there only for a minute or so.
4. Pass out lino pieces (one per student) and pencils and have students transfer their image to
their plates.
5. Have students cut into their plates with linocutters to create their image. Demonstrate different
mark making methods to create tone and volume such as cross-hatching, thin and thick lines,
etc.
6. Roll out ink evenly on the Plexiglas and show students how not to over ink the plates. If this
happens, ink will get in the grooves and the lines will not show. Explain how, in their print, what
they have cut (the lines) will remain white.
*relate this back to Feather by Alsena White in Creator Paints the World...
7. Lay newsprint paper over the inked plate and, using a spoon (or other implement), evenly
press the paper on the plate to create a proof of the image.
*a proof is a “rough” print of the image and allows students to see if and where more
cutting is needed to refine the composition. *Make sure the paper is at least two inches
larger than the lino plate.
8. Remove the newsprint paper to reveal the transferred, printed image.
9. If necessary, clean the lino plate with water and refine the image by further ‘cutting’.
10. Re-ink the plate to create a second proof and agin refine if necessary.
11. Once final image is achieved, ink the plate and print on clean construction or cartridge paper.
12. Have students create a title and sign it with their name IN PENCIL at the bottom of their
print.
13. Printing more than one print: A student may print more than one print but he/she has to
wash the plate off and dry it first with paper towel.
*For an alternative, have students cut a linoleum print as usual. However, instead of printing
onto a single white sheet of paper, have students prepare the paper beforehand with free-form
pieces of coloured tissue paper. Have tissue papers cut or torn and glued in appropriate
locations on the printing paper. After the coloured tissues are scurely glued, the black-inked cut
linoluem is positioned over it and pressed heavily onto the paper. Then the ink block is removed.
The result is a colourfully constructed linoluem block print.
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Styrofoam Relief Prints
Grades 4-8
Objectives:
Students will, through the studio activity, gain an understanding of:
a) What a print is (multiple images)
b) How a simple Styrofoam print image is created
c) How a Styrofoam print image is related to other types of prints (i.e. linocuts)
Materials:
–Styrofoam printing plates–1 per student (approx. 3 ½ x 7”) these could be collected from
grocery store meat departments or deli departments and should be cut before class
–2-3 block printing watercolour inks (the ink dries very fast so make sure to wait until the last
minute to roll it out on the glass and the plate. Use immediately. You could also use tempera
paints.
–Small plexiglas pieces to roll out ink on (one for every 4 students)
–Brayers-one per Plexiglas plate
–Pencils or nails for mark-making, crosshatching/shading,etc.
–Construction paper (for printing on) two 8x10” pieces per student
–Drawing paper (for rough design work)
–Newsprint
–Pressing tools such as clean brayers, spoons, or even fingertips
–Still life set-up/landscape or an image based on the exhibition
Methodology:
1. Using drawing paper, have students create their drawing.
*Drawing encourages students to think about subject matter. Ask what they are
interested in drawing in the still life/landscape/or an image based on what they saw in the
exhibition
2. Have students draw at least two small images they would like to print and have them show
examples of what they draw on paper before they make their plate.
3. Demonstrate the use of Styrofoam as the printing plate as well as how to draw into the
Styrofoam with a pencil (or nail) to create their image. Remember the marks that are created do
not go through the plate but only indent the Styrofoam or create grooves.
4. Pass out Styrofoam plates (one per student) and pencils and have students transfer their
image to their plates.
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Styrofoam Relief Prints continued
5. Roll out ink evenly on the plexiglas and show students how not to over-ink their plates. If this
happens, ink will get in the grooves and the lines will not show. Explain that the lines they have
drawn will be white.
6. Lay construction paper over the inked plate and, using a spoon (or other implement), evenly
press the paper over the plate. Make sure the paper is at least 2 inches larger than the
Styrofoam plate.
7. Remove the construction paper to reveal the transferred, printed image.
*Note: The printed image will appear in reverse compared to the drawn plate image.
8. Printing more than one print:
A student may print more than one print but he/she has to wash off the plate and dry it
thoroughly with a paper towel.
1. Draw into styrofoam to create image.
2. Use brayer to evenly ink plate.
3. After placing paper over plate, press
evenly with spoon or clean brayer.
4. Carefully lift paper from styrofoam
plate to produce finished print!
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
GLOSSARY
Terrence McGilvery
Legend, 2010
Pencil on paper
Collection of the artist
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Glossary
Aboriginal: Aboriginal refers to the original indigenous or “first people” of Canada and their
descendants. On occasion, we use the term “Native Canadian” to also refer to an Aboriginal person
in Canada.
Aboriginal peoples in Canada: The descendants of the original inhabitants of North America.
Within Canada there are three groups of Aboriginal peoples– Indians, Métis, and Inuit. These are
three separate peoples with unique histories, heritages, languages, cultural practices and spiritual
beliefs.
Abstraction: A term applied to 20th century styles in reaction against the traditional European view
of art as the imitation of nature. Abstraction stresses the formal or elemental structure of a work.
Assemblage: An artistic process in which a three-dimensional artistic composition is made from
putting together found objects.
Balance: A principle of design, it refers to the way the elements of art are arranged to create a
feeling of stability in a work. There are three main types of balance that can be expressed in a work
of art.
Formal or Symmetrical Balance: The work appears to have equal weight or interest in all areas.
Things on each side of a center line appear identical. Asymmetrical Balance: A kind of balance in
which the two sides of an artwork are not exactly alike, but still look balanced. Radial balance: A
type of balance based on a circle with lines extending from a central point. A wheel with spokes is an
example of radial balance.
Band: As defined by the Indian Act, a Band is a body of Indians for whose common use and benefit
lands have been set aside or monies held by the Government of Canada or declared by the
Governor in Council to be a Band. Today, many Bands prefer to be known as First Nations.
Bison: Bison were the centre of life for the Plains Tribes of Native Americans and the Métis,
providing them with food, shelter, clothing and spiritual inspiration. Bison hunting from horseback
was part of the Métis lifestyle. The bison is a unique symbol of the strength and determination of the
people of North America.
Composition: The considered arrangement of the various parts of a work of art. A work may be
discussed in terms of foreground, midground and background.
Collage: An artistic composition of materials and objects pasted over a surface, often with unifying
lines and colour.
Complementary colour: Those colours that are opposite to one another on the colour wheel. For
example, blue is the complement of orange; red is the complement of green.
Cree: Originally, a major Native nation that spread from Hudson Bay to Lake Athabasca in Alberta.
Historically, there are two groups of Cree: Woodland Cree, who lived in the forests, and Plains Cree,
who lived on the prairies. Today’s Cree form the largest First Nations group in Canada. They inhabit
the area from eastern Canada, west to Alberta and the Great Slave Lake.
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Glossary continued
Expressionism: An art movement early in the 20th century; the artist’s subjective expression of
inner experiences was emphasized; an inner feeling was expressed through a distorted rendition
of reality.
First Nations: In recognition of their important place in the development of Canada,
communities of Aboriginal peoples who share the same geographic, political, or cultural and
linguistic lines are referred to as First Nations. There are over 630 First Nations across Canada,
with 46 First Nations in Alberta.
Focus: The visual center of interest or attention of a picture.
Geometric shapes: Any shape or form having more mathematical than organic form. Examples
of geometric forms include spheres, cones, cylinders and cubes.
Indian: The term “Indian” is narrowly defined by the Indian Act. Indian peoples are one of three
groups of people recognized as one of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples in the Constitution Act of
1982. There are three legal definitions that apply to Indians in Canada: Status Indian, Non-status
Indian and Treaty Indian.
Indian Group of Seven: A group of professional Indian artists from Canada founded in 1973.
The group combined forces to promote their artwork and Indian art in general into the world of
western art; a shift from an emphasis on “indigenous” or “native” to artwork having artistic value.
Indigenous People: The original inhabitants of an area and their descendants are referred to as
indigenous. Aboriginal People in Canada are considered indigenous to Canada.
Organic shapes: An irregular shape, or one that might be found in nature, rather than
rectangular, mechanical shapes.
Pattern: A principle of art, a pattern means the repetition of an element (or elements) in a work.
An artist achieves a pattern through the use of colours, lines or shapes.
Pictographic style or x-ray style: Method of depicting humans and animals with a combination
of outlined silhouettes and clear but naive views of inner organs.
Relief sculpture: A type of sculpture in which form projects from a background.
Repetition: Repetition is created when objects, shapes, space, light, direction, lines, and
colours are repeated in artwork. Repetition helps to create unity in a work of art.
Stylized: Figures or objects in a work of art that are not represented naturally but are designed
to conform to a particular pattern or artistic approach.
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Glossary continued
Texture: The tactile quality of a surface or its representation. The three basic types of texture
are simulated, actual, and invented.
Tint: In colour theory, a tint is the mixture of a colour with white, which increases lightness.
Unity: A combination or ordering of parts that consitutes a whole or promotes an undivided or
total effect.
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Credits
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Syncrude Canada Ltd.
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts
Art Gallery of Alberta
Participating artists and curators
SOURCE MATERIALS:
Treaty 6 - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_6
- Alberta Online Encyclopedia - Treaty 6 - www.albertasource.ca/treaty6
- www.firstpeople.us/Fp-Html-Pictures/buffalo - pg.1 html
- Indian and Northern Affairs canada www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/al/hts/pg/tr6-eng.asp
- http://www.saddlelake.ca/Saddlelake 1.html
Native History of Alberta - www.westerncanadaravel.com/alberta.native.history.htm
Norval Morrisseau - http://www.cbc.ca/arts/artdesign/story/2007/12/04/norvalmorrisseau.html
Indian Group of Seven - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Group_of_Seven
The Woodland Group of Seven - http://www.gallerydeboer.ca/2008/09/the-woodland-roup-of-seven/
Carl Ray - http://www.native-art-in-canada.com/carlray.html
- http://en.lwikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Ray
Jackson Beardy - http://www.native-art-in-canada.com/jacksonbeardy.html
- Bearclaw Gallery - http://www.bearclawgallery.com/Artists.aspx?ArtistID=44
Eddy Cobiness - http://www.native-art-in-canada.com/eddycobiness.html
Daphne Odjig - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphne_Odjig
- Ojibwa Crafts and Art gallery - http://www.whetung.com/odjig.html
- http://www.native-art-in-canada.com/daphneodjig.html
- http://www.nativeonline.com/daphne_odjig.htm
- Bearclaw Gallery - Galleries West, Summer, 2008, ppg. 53-54
Joe Sanchez - http://www.native-art-in-canada.com/joesanchez.html
Art Nouveau - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau
Art Nouveau - Modern Art, Third Edition, Sam Hunter and John Jacobus, Prentic Hall, Inc., and Harry
N. Abrams, Inc., 1992, pp. 54-60
The Art of Sculpture: Relief Sculpture - http://www.uv.es/EBRIT/macro/macro_5005_69_20.html
Relief Carving - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relief_carving
Relief Sculpture - http:www.artlex.com/ArtLex/r/relief.htm
- http://www.craftyartworld.com/reliefsculpture.php
- http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Relief+sculpture
Cree Syllabics - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cree_syllabics
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Cree_syllabics
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Credits
This exhibition was developed and managed by the Art Gallery of Alberta
for The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Funding for this exhibition was provided by Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Shane Golby –Program Manager/Curator
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Region 2
Gabriela Rosende –TREX Technician
Alix Walsh – TREX Administrative Assistant
Front Cover Image: Blue Quills File Photograph, Courtesy of Blue Quills First Nations College
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479
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