Western Canada's art magazine since 2002
28 March 2023 Vol 8 No 6 ISSN 2561-3316 © 2023
Portia Priegert
From the Editor
Once again, I’m reminded how art can take us to unexpected places.
In this case, my musing was prompted by an image in the work of Indigenous artist Michelle Sound that shows her grandparents – kokum and mosum – walking down a city street in the 1960s. Michelle knew only that the photo was by a commercial street photographer.
The setting seemed familiar and soon I was rooting around in my photo albums for a picture of my father, taken by a street photographer in Edmonton. To my surprise, it was the same spot. The Royal Bank tower is visible in the background of both images. But the one of my dad, taken at a slightly different angle, also shows the Chateau Lacombe.
Michelle was pleased to learn more about her photo. And that night, I dreamed about the solo Saturday morning treks I started making to the downtown library when I was nine or 10. I used to wait for the bus home near that bank.
Since then, I’ve been wondering about the street photographer and what happened to his negatives. Those snapshots, a time-capsule of that era, would make a fabulous exhibition.
Michelle’s work, which deals with the healing of colonial traumas, is echoed in two other articles in this issue. One is about Inuit artist David Ruben Piqtoukun, a residential school survivor whose work reclaims the traditional stories stolen from him as a child. The other is on Karin Jones, who explores another difficult legacy by remaking items linked to slavery.
This issue also considers an unusual exhibition by Charles Stankievech that responds to Contemporary Calgary’s history as a planetarium. His work deals with metaphysical questions about humanity’s place in the universe but is hard to photograph as it’s mostly experienced in darkness.
The final two articles look at the natural world. Edmonton-based Emily Jan reflects on environmental crisis, while Randolph Parker tells how he came to make 220 landscape paintings of Lake of the Woods. The latter story, by Joe Paris, marks the final week of his internship at Galleries West. We wish him well in his future endeavours.
Before I sign off, I want to point readers to recent news about a couple of museum closures that may be harbingers of what awaits the Canadian cultural and heritage sector in a precarious post-pandemic world.
On a cheerier note, I also want to congratulate contributors Sarah Swan, Shazia Hafiz Ramji and Mark Mushet, who are finalists for Alberta Magazine Awards. Winners will be announced May 11.
Looking ahead, watch for stories about Michèle Pearson Clarke’s project on bad singing and two artists who visit far-away places through someone else’s camera lens.
Until next time,
CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE: Lindsay Inglis, Yani Kong, Lera Kotsyuba, Mark Mushet, Joe Paris, Lissa Robinson
We acknowledge the support of the Government of Alberta Media Fund, the Government of Canada Periodical Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts.
