Transformation - Revisited

About the Artists

Sharon Rose Kootenay  

As a Métis-Cree fine craft artist, the beadwork articles I create have roots in traditional Native women’s artistic practice. My work is inspired by the exquisite Northern designs created by my Grandmother Flora, her sisters, and the women artists of their time. I consider my floral beadwork to be part of a visual continuum of my Northern ancestors — often referencing traditional teachings, feminine worldviews, and the transmission of cultural lifeways. 

Through design, I acknowledge and show gratitude to the creator, moments of synchronicity, and the beauty of the universe. The greatest gift of creating art is the recognition of the sacred — revealed to ourselves, and through exhibition — to others.  

From within this domestic realm, I use fine craft to celebrate relationships, articulate memories, and as a catalyst to work through my thoughts and emotions. As an Indigenous artist, it is my deepest honour to create heirloom and ceremonial pieces. I believe the transmission of authentic cultural perspective is achieved through craft, and through exhibition can foster a deeper appreciation and understanding between peoples. 

Jason Symington is an Edmonton-based artist and professor of Fine Arts and Communications. He graduated from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and from the University of Saskatchewan with a Master of Fine Arts. In his decades-spanning practice, Jason has explored themes of sexuality, location, and identity through the mediums of photography, video, and installation. 

Symington’s use of visual language and visual rhetoric creates the foundations for the discourse between the work and the audience. He draws on the practices of conceptual art and communication theories to construct and deconstruct meaning in his work. There is always something more being communicated in the work than what is first seen on the surface. 

Jason Symington’s collaborative practice is grounded in sharing and transmitting knowledge. Facilitated through active listening, open dialogue, and patient observation, he discovers connections and expands his understanding of the “Other”. 

artist statement

Transformation - Revisited 

First exhibited during the winter of 2020, Transformation continues the conversation of memory, where we find ourselves, and our future hopes and dreams. Created in the bleak depths of the pandemic, the original installation of Wisdom and Promise spoke of hope and fortitude in the face of uncertainty, and faith in the compassionate spirits who guide and protect us all.   

From winter to summer solstice, Transformation has journeyed halfway around the sun to reposition herself: the “Promise” of the springtime has come to pass with an abundance of perennial blooms, and the crystalline fusions of “Wisdom” reimagined as a magical array of floating pollen and puffballs – propelled on a current of good will and wishes with the slightest of breath. 

As we walk into the moment, we recognize the commonalities of our human experience – the passages we have travelled that have shaped us, the wisdom we have gained, and the unknown and great adventures that lie ahead. In all these things, we wish you luck, love, and all the best. 

Sharon Rose Kootenay and Jason Symington