THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED
March 28 | 7:00pm | PAVED Arts, Saskatoon
Video Pool Media Arts Centre is excited to announce a touring screening series curated by Jenny Western called Showing Initiatives II. In this program Western continues her look at initiatives that encourage Indigenous artists to take up video art and filmmaking. The program will consist of nine videos made through program at Video Pool Media Art Centre in Winnipeg, at PAVED Arts in Saskatoon, and through the Stoney Nakoda A/V Club that often works with EMMEDIA Gallery & Production Centre in Calgary.
Screenings will be:
March 26 | 7:00pm | EMMEDIA Gallery & Production Centre, Calgary
With a discussion after the screening led my Liz Barron
March 28 | 7:00pm | PAVED Arts, Saskatoon
With a discussion after the screening led my Liz Barron
March 30 | 7:00pm | Art Gallery of South Western Manitoba, Brandon
With a discussion after the screening led by Jenny Western
April 9 | 7:00 | Video Pool Media Arts Centre, Winnipeg
With a discussion after the screening led by Jenny Western
Program:
Judging by C.C., C.Stylin, and Hibreed
1998 | 3:53
It started with a shot in a back alley, rage and frustration. It ended with a rap video about intolerance. Produced through the Aboriginal Teen Video Initiative.
This compilation of videos was entirely produced, acted and edited by native teenagers from Winnipeg’s North End district, one of the poorer areas of the city and the most affected by the Native gangs. Urban Story Tellers brings stories to the small screen from the unique perspective of teens themselves, thanks to an innovative workshop formula based on creative content, developed and tried with other teens at risk in the High Arctic, Peru, Mozambique, the Philippines and Poland.
Apocalypse 16 by Curtis Kaltenbaugh (2005)
This video uses the word Apocalypse not only in the original Greek sense (revelation) but also with an eschatological bent (the end of all things). End of the world. Loss. A dirge. A visual meditation on the tension between the natural world and what we’ve made of it.
Curtis Kaltenbaugh is an Ojibway/Irish adoptee, who spent ten years in Pennsylvania before returning to Winnipeg. He works primarily in the documentary field, but is interested in exploring other genres. Apocalypse 16 is his first experimental piece.
Mikomiing by Leonard Sumner (2009)
Mikomiing is an Anishinaabe word for ‘on the frozen water’ a term often used when a commercial fisherman has gone out to check his nets. This documentary follows a day in the life of a fisherman in the First Nation community of Little Saskatchewan, Manitoba.
Leonard Sumner is. an Anishnaabe videographer and musician from the Little Saskatchewan First Nation, located in the heart of the Interlake region of Manitoba. He earned his diploma in Media Production at Assiniboine Community College in 2007 and is now focussing on his own work. His debut short documentary Mikomiing was completed during a one-month scholarship residency at Video Pool Media Arts Centre. It explores the fading culture of commercial fishing in his community. In 2011, Sumner served as Cultural Liason for the Aboriginal Video Artists Scholarship program.
Skate Break by Peatr Thomas (2019)
Young man takes a break from work, skateboarding along to see his favourite Winnipeg murals.
Peatr Thomas is a Cree man who grew up in Cross Lake and Bloodvein Manitoba. From a young age he was raised with indigenous arts and culture. Moving to Winnipeg, in the year 2000, through his friends was being introduced to ‘urban artʼ, and videography. Now he conducts many art programs for youth, is a mural artist, freelance videographer, and occasional event coordinating.
High Altitude by Victoria N. Inglis (2018)
High Altitude explores what it means the be an Indigenous artist in the modern world. Being a youth in a fast paced digital arts scene, Inglis poetically explores the ideas of decolonization, racism, creativity, and life on lands of broken agreements. Though poetry they explore ways to go back to the land and heal.
Victoria Inglis is Dënesułįne & Nîhithaw from Reindeer Lake on Northern Turtle Island. They explore writing, visual arts, and activism through a poetic lens. Recently completing the Indigenous Storytelling & Spokenword Residency at Banff Art Centre & continually work with Red Rising Magazine to lift raw Indigenous voices. They are creating stories gifted to them from the blood memory of their ancestors; and voicing experiences in rhymes from the eyes of a two spirit youth.
Grow Up by Michael Captain (2018)
This video is seen how you see it. The things you hear is how you hear it. I’m not going to tell you how to feel when you watch my video. You see what you want to see.
Michael Captain lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba and his home community is God’s Lake Narrows. Michael is an aspiring musician and filmmaker. His first film entitled ‘Grow Up’ is about anxiety. The one thing he looks forward to in the future is to travel. He is also open to other opportunities as they come.
Going with the Flow by Winona Bearsield and Jaylene Wood
2016 | 2:57
This collaborative work was made by Jaylene and Winona along with their mentor Jackie Traverse as an experimentation for their first film. It was inspired by the city of Winnipeg and what surrounds them here, including pizza, indigenous artists, and Video Pool. Going with the Flow was created during the 2016 Video Pool Indigenous Youth Mentorship Program.
Winona Bearshield is a Canadian Cree animator originally from Saskatchewan, currently living in Winnipeg. Winona has been part of the Indigenous Youth Mentorship Program at Video Pool Media Arts Centre since 2016, and through this program has created three animations. She has screened this work at Video Pool Media Arts Centre and the Winnipeg Cinematheque. Winona will continue working on animations with a focus on comedy and animal videos. Jaylene Wood is emerging filmmaker living in Winnipeg, Canada originally from Garden Hill First nation. Wood, took part in Video Pool Media Arts Centre’s Indigenous Youth Mentorship Program in 2016.
Little Blue Bird by Amber Twoyoungmen and Kez Lefthand, Nakoda AV Club
2014 | 1:49
The Little Blue Bird movie is part of an ongoing project that the Nakoda AV Club has been comissioned for by the Stoney Education Authority Language and Culture Team. The project goals are to develop multimedia tools that allow teachers to work with the Nakoda language in their classrooms. We know that language and culture are key to the health of Indigenous communities around the world, and that’s why we’re so happy to be working on this project together. The song is a popular Nakoda lullaby, but this is the first time is has been recorded and animated by Stoney youth.
The Unbothered by Shawn Cuthand
2019 | 3:36
Two Hikers in Saskatchewan stumble upon an unbothered tribe hidden in the bush. The question remains: who will assimilate who?
About the curators:
Jenny Western / Jenny Western is an independent curator, writer, and educator based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She holds an undergraduate degree in History from the University of Winnipeg and a Masters in Art History and Curatorial Practice from York University in Toronto. While completing her graduate studies, she accepted a position at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba in Brandon where she held the position of Curator of Contemporary / Aboriginal Art and later became the AGSM’s Adjunct Curator. Western has curated exhibitions and programs across Canada and she makes up one-third of the Sobey Award nominated art collective the Ephemerals. Western is a member of the Brothertown Nation of Wisconsin and is of Oneida, Stockbridge-Musee, and European ancestry.
Liz Barron / Liz Barron has been self-employed for the last 25 years. She is one of the original founders of Urban Shaman Gallery, an artist run centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba for contemporary Indigenous art. Founded in 1996, Urban Shaman continues to grow and is the last of five Indigenous artist run centres in Canada started in the 90’s. Her skills in managing large scale projects with various Indigenous cultural practices has developed through two major historic initiatives. Liz was the Director for the Metis 10, a Vancouver Olympic project featuring ten Metis artists and a permanent installation and was the program manager for Close Encounters: The next 500 years, an exhibition featuring more than 30 Indigenous artists from around the world and working with four curators.
Liz is dedicated to building strategies and programs that target, motivate and engage Indigenous artists and organizations working in all cultural milieu. She is a sought-after resource to artist run centres in Canada, having worked with galleries in Manitoba, British Columbia and Ontario. With close to 20 years of experience in learning and development, she has devoted years to supporting Indigenous artists and organizations within contemporary art. Barron has also created solutions and programs in six practice areas for artists– Writing your biography; How to price your art; Creating and working with a budget; Creating your artistic resume & Organizing Curator studio visits; How to write a grant. She has facilitated workshops for various arts organizations, including the National Indigenous Media Arts Coalition, Independent Media Arts Alliance, Creative Manitoba and Mentoring Artists for Women Artists.
Image: Still from Skate Break by Peatr Thomas
