Converging Lines: Recent Art from the Northwest
Converging Lines features the work of regional Indigenous artists and draws inspiration from the connective, emanating power lines found in the works of established Anishnaabe artists such as Norval Morrisseau, Roy Thomas and Ahmoo Angeconeb. Though each artist shares elements of their artistic approach and conceptual underpinnings to the innovative and groundbreaking work by their predecessors, the work by Kristy Cameron, Elliot Doxtater-Wynn, Shaun Hedican, and Cree Stevens also speaks to current issues and shed light on contemporary ways of making art.
Moreover, the paintings and sculptural-work featured in this exhibition also make thematic connections between each participating artist, and of course, highlight the ideas converging within their own unique practices as artists. Viewers will have the opportunity to contemplate the lasting legacy of the Anishnaabe-style painting and the provocative new ways in which Indigenous artists envision the world around us.
Kristy Cameron is a teacher and visual artist, who was born and raised in Atikokan, ON, the Canoe Capital of Canada. Being raised surrounded by the beauty of the natural world has given her endless subjects to paint, while observing and researching this environment and its’ inner connections. As a Métis artist and descendant of numerous fur trade employees, she often incorporates Indigenous and historical content into her art. With this history and culture, we often see spiritual weavings throughout her pieces, which evoke sensations such as, mystery, energy, contentment, and joyfulness. Viewers often contemplate saying, “Every time I look at these paintings, I see something new!” The bright, bold colours are templates for more intricate images that unfurl deeper meanings within meanings.
Elliot Doxtater-Wynn was born in Sudbury, ON and raised in Six Nations Reserve just outside of Brantford, ON. He was raised on the Pow-Wow trail and learned to make various types of traditional crafts from a very young age. As a teenager he attended BEALart Vocational School in London, ON. After finishing at Beal with a special arts certificate in sculptural design Elliott moved to Thunder Bay with his family. He attended Lakehead University, graduating in 2005 with an Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. In 2012 he finished a professional year of teacher’s college from Lakehead University. Elliott works independently as both an artist and educator in school boards across Ontario.
Shaun Hedican is a member of the Loon Clan and The Eabametoong First Nation. His cultural identity is a result of his father’s career as a Professor of Anthropology and his mother’s involvement in ceremony and activism. Time outside of school was spent travelling throughout Ontario to attend Elders’ Conferences, ceremony, and other cultural events. Here he learned the concepts, practices and spirituality of his People. Creatively, Shaun continues to be inspired by the paintings of his grandmother Margaret Hedican and her experiences with Norval Morrisseau. Currently, Shaun lives on Lake Nipigon, creating and teaching art workshops in the region.
Cree Stevens is an Anishinabekwe and Cree artist who also has European heritage, based in Thunder Bay. She is closest to her Northwestern Ontario Ojibwe ancestry, which is reflected in her projects that meld traditional Indigenous ideas and materials with contemporary ideas and materials. A multi-disciplinary artist, Stevens uses regionally traditional materials like birch bark, copper, beads, quills, feathers, sinew, wood, and bone; and combines them with modern-day textiles, acrylic paint, handmade papers, and plaster to create mixed media paintings, sculptures, and wearable art pieces.
