Reclaiming a sense of empowerment for Indigenous women and girls is the theme of several artworks in the ReconciliACTION exhibit, which opened Thursday at the Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery.
A buffalo and eagle in Donna Langhorne's painting Respect are symbols of healing.
The artist from the Fishing Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan seeks to lift missing and murdered Indigenous women from the "dehumanized objects," their predators deemed them to be, to a condition where they are at peace: "Their loss not in vain, but rather serving as seeds for a safer, beautifully uplifting future."
Meanwhile, body positivity is embraced in a work by artist Mazzy, a Stoney Nakoda native from the Stardale Women's Group. And former Red Deer College student Lana Whiskeyjack's Three Generations Series of artworks explores intergenerational trauma from residential schools.
The travelling exhibit at the Red Deer museum from the Alberta Federation for the Arts' Trex Southwest program, encompasses works from 21 artists from across Western Canada. The display is based on the idea that "all persons have the agency to create ripples of change."
The artists hope the experiences their works have sprung from will broaden understanding in the wider community about issues Indigenous people are facing, and efforts being made to create new pathways based on mutual respect.
Viewers are asked to consider the artists' journeys (as described in a few short paragraphs beside the works), and the message their artworks are conveying. The hope is that people will then reflect upon how their own actions can spur positive change in the ongoing process of reconciliation.
Michael Fatt, a Chipewyan Dene who grew up in foster care near Yellowknife, N.W.T., developed his artistic skills despite much adversity, including time spent in and out of jail.
His painting Balance, depicts a bear, warrior and celestial bodies, and alludes to the care that must be taken not to tip the natural order that exists in the universe. "It's all there for a reason," says Fatt.
Red Deer artist Ryan Jason Allen Willart was raised in a non-Indigenous community but has since connected with his Blackfoot roots. He was inspired to create Black-Billed Magpie because of the significance of this bird to Indigenous people who watched them trail buffalo herds. He noted magpies mate for life, protect their young and mourn their dead.
Wildlife and the wilderness also feature in the art of Gordon Wesley, a Nakota Stoney member of the Bighorn Reserve, near Nordegg. Wesley's passion for the natural beauty and solitude of the mountains can be seen in an untitled work showing a teepee at sunset.
Tymmarah Mackie, public programs manager for the museum, said, "A lot of what we like to do is highlight and focus on cultural awareness." She feels it's important to educate about social justice issues, as well as represent the stories and voices of different groups — in this case of Indigenous artists.
The ReconciliACTION exhibit goes to Aug. 28, with a First Friday opening reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on Aug. 2.
