Joi T. Arcand (courtesy of the artist)
Joi T. Arcand has been named as the recipient of the 2023-2024 ohpinamake award.
The word ohpinamake means “to lift others” in nêhiyawêwin, according to a news release.
The $10,000 prize was made possible thanks to a partnership between Jim and Marian Knock and the University of Saskatchewan. The idea was to create an award that acknowledges the “ability of art to bridge differences and yet make things different.” It is open to Indigenous artists whose territories meet Canada’s colonial borders.
“The artist chosen must clearly engage in a practice that ‘lifts others’. This can be understood as active social practice or as the production of art works that elevate Indigenous world-sense and create community. It can also be modeling behaviour that supports others in truly relational ways,” according to the release.
An artist from Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, Arcand holds a bachelor of fine arts from the University of Saskatchewan and was shortlisted for the Sobey Art Award in 2018. She started her career in photography and has expanded to create large-scale installations focusing on nêhiyawêwin syllabics. She currently lives in Ottawa, Ont.
The award will be presented on May 17, during the opening party for the new Jeff Thomas exhibition, I Refuse To Be Invisible, at the Kenderdine Art Gallery on the University of Saskatchewan campus in Saskatoon.
This year's jury included Ruth Cuthand, Lori Blondeau and KC Adams, who received the first Ohpinamake award in 2022.
Source: Kenderdine Art Gallery
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