In the Galleries
Admission at the door. For more information call 931-6767
GREAT HALL
Mistatim – I Honour You
July 19th, 2011 - July 19th, 2012
The relationship between man and the horse changed the lives of the Plains First Nations people. The change of mode of transportation, from dog, to horse, increased mobility and brought about greater trade opportunities, and a shift in economic strength. People traveled further, faster, communicated more, shared more, and they hunted more, which created greater material wealth.
The important role that the horse played in sustaining the people, both spiritually, and economically is immeasurable, and it has been honoured by sacred ceremonies and by traditional oral history keepers. The reverence that society has for the horse is demonstrated through significant representation of the horse image in both traditional and contemporary art forms.
Mistatim- I Honour You, continues honouring tradition and sets forth examples of this highly held reverence for the horse, through historical and contemporary artistic expression of the Plains First Nation and Metis Peoples.
ART GALLERY
Kisemanito Pakitinasuwin-The Creator’s Sacrifice
January, 2012 – April 2012
Dana Claxton (danaclaxton.com) presents “The People Dance”, now showing at the Wanuskewin Heritage Park Gallery (wanuskewin.com).
The People Dance
A surreal story about spirituality and infinity that blends traditional Lakota worldview and customs with new media art. By crafting surreal and esoteric imagery in The People Dance, Lakota filmmaker Dana Claxton tells the story of a deity appearing in modern times, and answering the question “would we listen, would we hear?”
Together a man and woman take a poetic journey into a deeper understanding of spirituality while they sit on a leather sofa and speak of their quest and its many questions. The images often convey an optimism where the characters celebrate through words and dance secure in the knowledge of the elders and the future of our children.
Dana Claxton works in film, video, installation, photography, performance, education, curation and aboriginal broadcasting. Her artistic career spans twenty years and her work has been shown and collected internationally. Her artwork engages the socio-political and spiritual. She has sat on numerous international panels regarding art and society including the Getty Institute in Los Angles (2009), and the opening week forum at the Sydney Biennale (2010). She has also been a jury member many public arts funding bodies across Canada and is an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory. Born in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, her family reserve is Wood Mountain Lakota First Nations.