Journeys

Completed over the course of two years, Sky Talk collapses time and space onto the canvas. Janvier described the imagery in mural as follows:

“The lower layers in this painting represent the Earth’s history. The ancient dinosaur life created oil for today’s use. Next, various depths of water levels nourish our Mother Earth at ground level, it is vital for life. Various colour bars represent the Native natural laws of Mother Earth. [The] Mother Earth is dancing, happy to greet a beautiful forecast for the coming next day. Nature is replenished with water. The colourful sky talks of the beautiful bright day to come in the morning and gives good sign to go hunting and fishing. We can expect a great day coming.”

Celebrated Denesuline artist Alex Janvier (1935-2024) was widely known for his unique, groundbreaking art that merged Indigenous cosmology, history, and abstract expressionism. A key member of the Professional Native Artists Inc., commonly known as the “Indian Group of Seven,” Janvier’s art has been extensively exhibited both nationally and internationally. His work is represented in several major art collections across Canada and also publicly in Edmonton in places such as the Muttart Conservatory, Rogers Place, and the Alberta Legislature. His work and life has made an indelible mark on the vibrancy of our world.

A graduate of the Master’s of Fine Arts program at the University of Alberta (1997), the late Cree artist Jeff Kahm (Kahmakoatayo) was known for his geometric and abstract paintings Kahm described his art as being “‘rooted in Indigenous abstraction and Modernist aesthetics.’” Much like the work of Alex Janvier, Kahm invites viewers to contemplate the boldness of colour and forms. In the painting Journey, Kahm appeals to the view to navigate Unfamiliar, inward visual terrains of the mind.

Upon graduating from the University of Alberta, Kahm moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico where he began teaching at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). He exhibited widely in the United States, with the most recent exhibition at Museum of Contemporary Native Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico (2012).  Journey is one of the few works by the artist in public art collections in North America.

Dawn Marie Marchand explores her mental health journey through the painting They Move Through 3, 2023. This painting utilises mixed media, combining watercolour, pastels and ink to illustrate the reality of living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression. While the horses in this piece appear to be travelling upside down and sideways, they all travel on the same path and in the same direction.

Her Cree name, cîpêhcakwawêw-iskwêw (Blue Horse Spirit Woman) draws strength and inspiration from her namesake, The Blue Horse, who navigates similar struggles. “In these times, I keep my eye on the outcome and stay the course. We move through until we get to the end”. This painting is a part of the They Move Through series, which discusses the reality of the cultural and collective load that Indigenous peoples are expected to carry on top of their own personal struggles. This piece is currently on display in the University of Alberta’s Sperber Library.

Dawn Marie Marchand defines herself as a Cree and Metis artist, educator, advocate, author, writer, speaker, and mother. She is a member of Cold Lake First Nation in Treaty No. 6 territory, and an alumnus of the Boreal First University for the Indigenous Arts and the University of Alberta. She has gone on to organise and facilitate countless workshops, lectures and exhibitions. cîpêhcakwawêw-iskwêw continues to use her platform as a tool to engage with and spark positive change in the lives of Indigenous youth.