On June 21, the Point Artist-Run Centre (PARC) will launch a new exhibition in partnership with Sacred Rock Community Arts Society. Three Salish and Coast Salish artists-in-residence—Lydia Brown, Atheana Picha and Autumn Walkem—represent the cornerstone of this project, but several other Indigenous creators from across Canada will also contribute.
Curated by Nlaka’pamux artist Nadine Spence, the exhibit includes painted chests and boxes, ink on paper, woven blankets, carvings and other original items. Her hope is the project will help form bridges between different communities.
"This, to me, is like the first step in how to build proper relationships between different Indigenous and non-Indigenous arts organizations in a respectful way," Spence elaborates. "Whistler, I guess, is always about tourism, but there's still a community and that's really my focus also—not just supporting the arts, but the actual people within the community and getting to know them at a different level."
Public education is also a key aim of this undertaking. Spence feels many do not understand the distinction between Salish and Coast Salish people (she represents the former), and has even encountered some folks who erroneously believe all of British Columbia's First Nations groups are more or less homogenous.
Yet the PARC exhibition incorporates work from artists who originate from diverse backgrounds. Mike Alexander, Denni Spence, Tamara Archie, Deshawn Kennedy, Koa Raine Wilson and Victoria Buffalo Robe are also partaking, and according to Nadine Spence they represent a gamut of nations like Musqueam, Squamish and more. Some of their contributions are quite personal: for instance, Nadine has included never-before-seen ink quill on paper artwork of her late Nlaka’pamux father Roger Spence, a survivor of the St. George's Indian Residential School of Lytton.
'There's a history'
Above all, Spence feels passionately about backing female Indigenous creators like Brown, Picha and Walken while recognizing the shared histories and experiences they can relate to.
"We're talking about the grandmothers and the women from many generations, but also the disrespect that happened to Indigenous women in the past," remarks Spence. "As a grandmother myself, I want to make sure that I support the voices and youth and the young women of today who are doing so much incredible work that maybe people don't see. We have people out there living clean, sober, true lives.
"They worry about the communities, they worry about the lands. They put themselves out there, doing the best they can [and] they're well-rounded women in many forms. I just want to be a little part as another female Indigenous artist and grandmother … to make their life a little bit easier in trying to fit into a world that does not hear them or see them at times. [A world] that just wants them to sell art."
The PARC is happy to help. Spence first heard about the organization from a carver who had resided there while making a story pole for the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre (SLCC). She met PARC artistic director Stephen Vogler a couple of years ago, getting the ball rolling on their partnership.
Spence wants Sea to Sky denizens to really take notice of the First Nations art being presented and its significance.
"I've never ever thought of Whistler as just a ski resort. I know that the nation it's in, between the Lil'wat and also the Squamish, there's a history," she opines. "People are crying out about truth and reconciliation and building relationships, but where does that start? It starts in small communities. It starts with engaging over art and realistic art. Maybe sometimes it's not something people want to talk about, but these are realities that many of us who actually call B.C. or Canada home face."
Admission is free to the opening reception on June 21 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the PARC. The exhibition runs from June 22 to August 31, with admission by donation to Sacred Rock. For more details visit thepointartists.com/events/salish-salish-coast-art-exhibition.
