Sharon Rose Kootenay, Fort Des Prairie (For Mary Sinclair), 2020. Birchbark baskets: glass beads, thread, birch bark, spruce root. Left: Sharon Rose Kootenay, Otehimina // Heart Berry (For Mary Sinclair), 2020. Women’s belt and pouches: wool stroud, glass beads, thread, deerhide, cotton, metal cones and buttons.

Sharon Rose Kootenay and Jason Symington, Promise, 2020.
Churchill Square, Downtown Edmonton

 

Exhibitions by Sharon Rose Kootenay and Jason Symington
November 26 to January 21, 2021 Downtown Edmonton


SHARON ROSE KOOTENAY AND JASON SYMINGTON
TRANSFORMATION: PROMISE AND WISDOM

Reinstalled in Giovanni Caboto Park, November 4 - 7, 2021

Sharon Rose Kootenay and Jason Symington, Transformation: Promise and Wisdom, 2020. Churchill Square, Downtown Edmonton

Sharon Rose Kootenay and Jason Symington, Transformation: Promise and Wisdom, 2020.
Churchill Square, Downtown Edmonton

The two sides of “Transformation” represent the promise of what is yet to come, and the wisdom of the ancestors who have passed before us. As certain as the turning seasons, this process is eternal, and as old as time.

“Promise” guides us to a bright and beautiful future. Pink blossoms and climbing vines reach toward the beckoning rose buds of the keystone flower. We walk softly upon the earth, and give thanks to all that springs anew — welcoming new babies into our families, the newborn beings of the animal kingdoms, and the plants and medicines that return year after year.

“Wisdom” reminds us of the wonders and mysteries of our human experience. Violet and blue flowers float through the ethereal realm of the Grandmother Spirit. She is kind, benevolent, and ever present. We look to the heavens and listen to her calm and guiding energy, so that we may share it with others.

Transformation: Promise & Wisdom was first installed in Churchill Square, November 2020 to January, 2021

The Works Giant Gateway is made possible, in part, with support form the EPCOR Heart & Soul Fund.


Wildflowers: Metis Women of Fort Edmonton, 1785–1910
Sharon Rose Kootenay
Curated by Brittany Cherweniuk

On now through January 21, 2021
9698 JAsper Avenue, west-facing windows

Sharon Rose Kootenay, Fort Des Prairie (For Mary Sinclair), 2020. Birchbark baskets: glass beads, thread, birch bark, spruce root. Left: Sharon Rose Kootenay, Otehimina // Heart Berry (For Mary Sinclair), 2020. Women’s belt and p…

Sharon Rose Kootenay, Fort Des Prairie (For Mary Sinclair), 2020. Birchbark baskets: glass beads, thread, birch bark, spruce root. Left: Sharon Rose Kootenay, Otehimina // Heart Berry (For Mary Sinclair), 2020. Women’s belt and pouches: wool stroud, glass beads, thread, deerhide, cotton, metal cones and buttons.

Inspired by the lives of eight notable Metis/Bois Brule women of various ages, circumstances, and generations, Wildflowers endeavours to share a compassionate world, where families lived in accordance with the seasons and marked their life passages through arrivals and departures, and in communal celebrations and private sorrows.

The contributions and influence of Metis/Bois-Brule women were essential to the early settlements of Fort Edmonton, as a place they had passed through, and called home. Presented as an illustrated narrative of Metis community, beliefs, and traditions, Wildflowers reveals a deeper, feminine perspective of the realities and intricate relationships of the 1800’s era.

Containing multiple layers of cultural importance and transmission, the fine craft created for the Wildflowers exhibition is both of original design and historical replica. Based on the era known as the “Renaissance of Metis Women’s Beadwork,” the beautiful items produced by Metis craft makers from 1870-1885 have yet to be surpassed in technical and artistic skill. The recreation of period items from this era gives us a glimpse of the intricate artistry, and the use of colour and design.

Wildflowers explores the redemptive quality of heirloom craft, spiritual practices, and the connection to the land, incorporating the winding paths of lived experience and the accumulation of wisdom. The stories of these eight Metis/Bois Brule women are noteworthy and compelling. Their lives were filled with love, dedication and adversity. They were wise, noble and determined. Like the Wildflowers, they belonged to themselves―Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak.

We would like to offer our gratitude to Brittany Cherweniuk – the exhibition’s curator, for her exceptional knowledge of regional Metis history and material cultural practices; Elder Cam Kootenay for his contributions of Cree language and terminology; and to the Edmonton Heritage Council, for their financial assistance. We gratefully recognize the scholarly efforts of Tom Long, the former Interpretations Coordinator at Fort Edmonton Park for his outstanding web series: Edmontonians in the Spotlight; and to Lawrence J. Barkwell (1943-2019), Senior Historian at the Louis Riel Institute, Manitoba, for his numerous publications

 

About the Artists

A life-long maker of traditional art forms, Métis artist Sharon Rose Kootenay finds her inspiration in the forests and prairie landscapes she calls home. Through honouring tradition and expressing a deep connection to the land, Sharon’s colour-filled pieces tell a story of cultural identity and place. Utilizing hide, beads, thread and needle, she creates fine craft that illustrates regional history, significant family events, and personal perspectives.

Jason Symington is an Edmonton based artist and professor for the Bachelor of Communications Studies Program at MacEwan University. In his decades-spanning practice, Jason has explored themes of sexuality, location, and identity through the mediums of photography, video, and installation.

 

Sharon Rose Kootenay, Jason Symington, and Brittany Cherweniuk, the artists and curator behind "Transformation: Promise and Wisdom" and "Wildflowers: Metis Women of Fort Edmonton, 1785-1910" discuss process, collaboration, and reconciliation.

Introduced by Susan Winters, Curatorial Supervisor at The Works Art & Design Festival.

The Works Giant Gateway and the Wildflower Exhibit are supported by: EPCOR Heart & Soul Fund, Edmonton Heritage Council, Edmonton Arts Council, City of Edmonton, Downtown Business Association of Edmonton, Alberta Foundation for the Arts and the Government of Canada.