Art

Mi’kmaw artists are creating a wide range of imaginative and beautiful work using the skills and traditions of basketry weaving given to them by their elders and ancestors. In this book, nine artists present their work and their stories in their own words. Their unique artistic practices reflect their relationships to the natural world around them and their abilities to create unique and beautiful objects using a mix of traditional and contemporary materials and forms.

Each artist's account of their background and practice is introduced by editor shalan joudry. Their words stand alongside examples of their art, photographed in their studios by Holly Brown Bear.

This book is a milestone in creating awareness of and celebrating a group of important contemporary artists working today in Mi’kma'ki, the traditional territory which embraces Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and portions of Quebec.

Featured artists:

• Peter Clair, Elsipogtog First Nation, New Brunswick.
• Virick Francis, Eskasoni First Nation, Nova Scotia.
• Stephen Jerome, Gesgapegiag, Quebec.
• Della Maguire, Glooscap First Nation, Nova Scotia.
• Frank Meuse, L'sittkuk First Nation (Bear River), Nova Scotia.
• Margaret Peltier, We'koqma'q First Nation, Nova Scotia.
• Sandra Racine, Elsipogtog First Nation, New Brunswick.
• Nora Richard, Lennox Island, Prince Edward Island.
• Ashley Sanipass, Indian Island, New Brunswick.

Additional Information
10.00" x 8.03" | Paperback | 100+ Colour Photographs 

Uncover the incredible life story of Germaine Arnattaujuq, a singularly important Inuit artist, in this high interest/low reading level reference book for struggling readers.

Germaine Arnattaujuq is an award-winning Inuit artist. This book tells the story of her life, from growing up at a camp in Nunavut to her education as an artist in Winnipeg and Ottawa and her eventual return to the North. Germaine's incredible drawings, etchings, and illustrations are featured throughout the book, along with archival photographs.

Filled with personal anecdotes and fun facts, this book encourages reluctant readers to discover how Germaine started drawing on gum wrappers as a child and went on to become one of the most well-known artists from the North.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 12 to 18.

This is a Hi-Lo (high-interest, low readability) book.

Additional Information
60 pages | 6.00" x 9.00" | Colour Photographs | Paperback

In this intimate collection of writing and art, Brian J. Francis invites us to explore the sacred space within. Through vision, prayer, and dream work, Francis channels messages from the ancestors to help us contemplate themes of nature, mortality, truth, and reconciliation. Eclipsing space and time, Francis words and art resonate with deep texture, hope, colour, and mastery. The result is a shimmering testament to his Mi'kmaq ancestors, and a pledge to the next generation. Guiding us beyond spirit and nation boundaries, this eloquent read is ideal for anyone seeking sanctuary, sacred space, and a comfortable seat at their own altar.

Additional Information
88 pages | 8.00" x 8.00" | Hardcover 

Raised by his grandparents in the tiny village of Metlakatla, Alaska, David A. Boxley left a secure teaching job in his hometown to pursue an uncharted path as a full-time Tsimshian artist, ultimately leading a revival of traditional culture, art, dance, and song. Tsimshian Eagle: A Culture Bearer's Journey chronicles Boxley's life and art through images and interviews. What emerges is a boundlessly creative, restless man who has dedicated his life to keeping Tsimshian culture alive.

Additional Information
240 pages | 8.25" x 10.25" | Hardcover 

Dempsey Bob: In His Own Voice is based on the first full-scale solo museum exhibition of this extraordinary Tahltan-Tlingit artist, one of the finest living carvers of the Northwest Coast. Drawing from extensive interviews with the artist by the exhibition’s curator, Sarah Milroy, the book presents the story of his life told his own way, including extensive and intimate reflections on the creation of particular works. Gorgeous photographs of the artworks, which are drawn from key private collections in Canada and public collections in Canada, the US and beyond, are supplemented with material from his sketchbooks to create a vivid portrait of the creative process.

Additional Information
208 pages | 9.00" x 10.00" | Hardcover

Through a series of fifty-one large “story robes,” Jut-ke-Nay Hazel Wilson shares a grand narrative of Haida origins, resistance, and perseverance in the face of colonialism, and of life as it has been lived on Haida Gwaii since time immemorial.

Glory and Exile: Haida History Robes of Jut-ke-Nay Hazel Wilson marks the first time this monumental cycle of ceremonial robes by the Haida artist Jut-Ke-Nay (The One People Speak Of) - also known as Hazel Anna Wilson - is viewable in its entirety. On 51 large blankets, Wilson uses painted and appliqued imagery to combine traditional stories, autobiography, and commentary on events such as smallpox epidemics and environmental destruction into a grand narrative that celebrates the resistance and survival of the Haida people, while challenging the colonial histories of the Northwest Coast.

Of the countless robes Wilson created over fifty-plus years, she is perhaps best known for The Story of K'iid K'iyaas, a series about the revered tree made famous by John Vaillant's 2005 book The Golden Spruce. But her largest and most important work is the untitled series of blankets featured here. Wilson always saw these works as public art, to be widely seen and, importantly, understood.

In addition to essays by Robert Kardosh and Robin Laurence, the volume features texts about each robe by Wilson herself; her words amplify the power of her striking imagery by offering historical and personal context for the people, characters, and places that live within her colossal work. Glory and Exile, which also features personal recollections by Wilson's daughter Kun Jaad Dana Simeon, her brother Allan Wilson, and Haida curator and artist Nika Collison, is a fitting tribute to the breathtaking achievements of an artist whose vision will help Haida knowledge persist for many generations to come.

Reviews
“Hazel was a matriarch, artist, and Storyteller. Thomas King once wrote, “The truth about stories is, that’s all we are.” To experience Hazel’s work is to learn a story within a story: the past as taught by her Elders; the life she herself experienced within these narratives; and a glimpse of our storied future, which we will build by upholding our own responsibilities to Haida Gwaii, the Supernatural, and each other.” —Jisgang Nika Collison, in Glory and Exile

Additional Information
232 pages | 8.02" x 10.23" | Hardcover 

Kent Monkman's art has been described as "stupendous" (New York Times), "sure to alarm and educate" (The Observer), and beating "Western history painting at its own game" (The Globe and Mail). Subversive, bold, and groundbreaking, the work of this Cree artist has transformed contemporary Canadian visual culture. Monkman's art is included in major Canadian and international public institutions and he is the only artist in this country to be commissioned by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Kent Monkman: Life & Work is the first comprehensive book about the celebrated Monkman (b.1965). It is the only publication to trace the arc of his career, from his early abstract paintings to his rise to fame creating works that re-visit and reinterpret historic paintings to offer a powerful commentary on Indigenous resistance, remembrance, and the re-thinking of history.

Author Shirley Madill chronicles the origins of Miss Chief Eagle Testickle—Monkman's time-travelling, shape-shifting, gender-fluid alter ego, who features prominently in his work—and details his youth in Manitoba growing up as a member of the Fisher River First Nation, where he first became aware of profound social injustice. Madill explores Monkman's provocative interventions into Western European and American art history, and shows how he created a body of work that raises awareness of the critical issues facing Indigenous peoples by fiercely addressing North America's legacy of colonialism, while also critiquing Western art history. Kent Monkman: Life & Work is the definitive publication for anyone passionate about Indigenous issues, art in North America, and contemporary culture.

Additional Information
144 pages | 8.00" x 11.00" | Hardcover 

A rich visual testament to the practical and cultural power of the dugout canoe, balanced in its description of meaning and method.

Tla-o-qui-aht master canoe maker Joe Martin, in collaboration with former museum curator Alan Hoover, describes the meaning and method behind one of the most vivid and memorable symbols of the Northwest Coast: the dugout canoe. Both artform and technological marvel, the chaputs carries Indigenous cultural knowledge passed down through generations, not only of the practical forestry and woodworking that shape every canoe, but also of the role and responsibilities of the canoe maker.

The text includes both a step-by-step explanation of the canoe-making process from tree selection onward (carefully described and dynamically illustrated) and the personal histories of a number of Joe's canoes, encompassing their planning, creation, cultural significance and role in the process of reconciliation. The teachings Joe received from his father and the expertise he has gained in a lifetime of canoe-making are recorded here in his own words for generations to come.

Reviews
“In Making a Chaputs, Nuu-chah-nulth canoe artist Joe Martin shows how he carves dugout canoes, explaining how and why he makes two full-size canoes from a single cedar log. It is a clever, amazing tradition rooted in deep respect for the forest and a lifetime of Indigenous knowledge—a highly recommended book!”—Kathryn Bernick, archaeologist and author of numerous books including Waterlogged: Examples and Procedures for Northwest Coast Archaeologists and Basketry and Cordage from Hesquiat Harbour

“When tracing ancient basketry styles in the archaeological waterlogged/wet sites of the Salish Sea for thousands of years, we defined our approach as Generationally-Linked Archaeology. As seen at the Makah Ozette Village archaeological wet site from ca. 1700, preserved chaputs canoe models reflect this West Coast tradition a full 16 generations back. Joe Martin, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation Elder and master canoe carver, best reflects these generationally linked traditions, constructing over 60 full-size chaputs, passing this paramount art on through Native apprentices and, here, in his own words, with esteemed curator and author Alan Hoover.” —Ed Carriere, Suquamish Elder and Master Basketmaker and Coast Salish Canoe Carver, and Dale R. Croes, Ph.D. Northwest Coast wet site archaeologist, Washington State University, co-authors of Re-Awakening Ancient Salish Sea Basketry

Additional Information
96 pages | 8.97" x 8.97" | Paperback

Moving the Museum documents the reopening of the J.S. McLean Centre for Indigenous & Canadian Art with a renewed focus on the AGO’s Indigenous art collection. The volume reflects the nation-to-nation treaty relationship that is the foundation of Canada, asking questions, discovering truths, and leading conversations that address the weight of history and colonialism.

Lavishly illustrated with more than 100 reproductions, Moving the Museum: Indigenous + Canadian Art at the AGO features the work of First Nations artists — including Carl Beam, Rebecca Belmore, and Kent Monkman — along with work by Inuit artists like Shuvinai Ashoona and Annie Pootoogook. Canadian artists include Lawren Harris, Kazuo Nakamura, Joyce Wieland, and many others. Drawing from stories about our origins and identities, the featured artists and essayists invite readers to engage with issues of land, water, transformation, and sovereignty and to contemplate the historic and future representation of Indigenous and Canadian art in museums.

Educator Information
Celebrates the renewed focus on Indigenous art at the J.S. McLean Centre for Indigenous & Canadian Art. 

Features essays on the curatorial decisions made in redesigning the gallery, as well as pieces on individual artis and the history of Canadian, Indigenous, and Black art at the AGO.

Over 100 images, including art by Karoo Ashevak, June Clark, and Rebecca Belmore.

Additional Information
270 pages | 10.25" x 10.25" | Hardcover

Ndè Sii Wet'aà: Northern Indigenous Voices on Land, Life, & Art is a collection of essays, interviews, short stories and poetry written by emerging and established northern Indigenous writers and artists. Centred on land, cultural practice and northern life, this ground-breaking collection shares wealth of Dene (Gwichʼin, Sahtú, Dehcho, Tłı̨chǫ, Saysi, Kaska, Dënesuiné, W?ìl?ìdeh ) Inuit, Alutiiq, Inuvialuit, Métis, Nêhiyawak (Cree), Northern Tutchone, and Tanana Athabascan creative brilliance. Ndè Sii Wet'aà holds up the voices of women and Two Spirit and Queer writers to create a chorus of voices reflecting a deep love of Indigenous cultures, languages, homelands and the north. The book includes a series of pieces and interviews from established northern artists and musicians including Leela Gilday, Randy Baillargeon (lead singer for the W?ìl?ìdeh Drummers), Inuit sisters, song-writers and throat singers Tiffany Ayalik and Inuksuk Mackay of Piqsiq, Two Spirit Vuntut Gwitchin visual artist Jeneen Frei Njootli, Nunavik singer-songwriters Elisapie and Beatrice Deere and visual artist Camille Georgeson-Usher. Ndè Sii Wet'aà also includes writing from well-known northern writers Siku Allooloo, T'áncháy Redvers (Fireweed), Antione Mountain (From Bear Rock Mountain), Glen Coulthard (Red Skin, White Masks), Catherine Lafferty (Northern Wildflower, Land-Water-Sky) and Lianne Marie Leda Charlie, in amongst the best emerging writers in the north.

Additional Information
264 pages | 6.00" x 9.00" | Paperback

Learn to draw Native Art! First Nations artist Robert E. Stanley Sr. shares his knowledge and technique in rendering classic northwest native drawings. Now you too, can learn to draw some of the legendary animals of the First Nations tribes, by learning Robert's techniques passed down to him from generation to generation.

Additional Information
64 pages | 8.50" x 11.00"

Learn about some of the real and legendary creatures revered by the natives of the west coast by using these templates to create spectacular pictures. The first coloring book in the Northwest Native Arts Series. Learn about some of the real and legendary creatures revered by the natives of the west coast by using these templates to create spectacular pictures.

Educator & Series Information
This is the second book in the Northwest Native Art Series.

Includes templates / designs for Owl, Killer Whale, Wolf, Frog, Eagle, Moon, Grizzly Bear, Sun, Black Bear, Raven, Male Salmon, Female Salmon, Beaver, Diving Frog, Face in an Ovoid, The Split-Frog, The Rave and the Sun, The Wild Man of the Forest, The Hawk, The Prayer, The Flying Frog, The Robin and the Twig, Kingfisher, Crab, Timber Wolf, Lizard, and Split-Killer Whale, along with traditional teachings and knowledge about each one.

Color in these designs using pen, pencil, crayons or paints. You can choose which colors to use, color them any colors you like, but keep in mind that the traditional colors are red and black. Blue or turquoise blue is sometimes used around the eye and around the inside u-shape fillers.

This colouring book could work with younger and older children.

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.50" x 11.00" | Paperback

The second coloring book in the Northwest Native Arts Series. Learn about some of the real and legendary creatures revered by the natives of the west coast by using these templates to create spectacular pictures.

Educator & Series Information
This book would work best with older children or teens.

This is the second book in the Northwest Native Art Series.

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Basic Shapes
How to make an ovoid
Making the two inside ovoids
The basic U-shape
The U-shape form line for ears, nose and beak
The split U-shape filler design
The L-shape, S-shape and cheek filler designs
Claw designs
Samples of basic eye designs
The basic teeth and tongue designs
The basic head form line
A basic wing form line
A basic tail form line
The Basic Steps for Drawing a First Nations Wolf and Other Designs
The ovoids
Starting the Wolf design
Adding the nose form lines
Placing the ear and forearm ovoid form lines
Placing the forearm U-shape, claw and claw connector
Connecting the forearm to the head and setting the hind leg ovoids
Adding the hind leg U-shape form line and claw
Connecting the forearm to the hind leg
Drawing the upturned tail of the Wolf
Placing the teeth, tongue and filler designs
The Bear
The Frog
The Basic Steps for Drawing a First Nations Eagle Design
The ovoids
Starting the Eagle design
Adding the beak and the ear U-shape form lines
Placing the wing ovoids and the wing U-shapes
Connecting the head to the wing
Adding the wing feather tips
Placing the tail ovoids and adding the U-shape form line
Connecting the tail to the wing and adding the tail feather tips
Adding the claw and connecting it to the tail
Adding the black thin lines and U-shape fillers
The Raven
How to Draw the Killer Whale
Drawing the Killer Whale
Placing the filler designs
Four Creat Tracing
Introduction and instructions
The Eagle, Killer Whale, Wolf and Raven
Four creat head puzzles
The Killer Whale, Wolf, Raven and Eagle
Native Arts Colouring
The Eagle, Killer Whale, Frog and Wolf 

Additional Information
24 pages | 8.50" x 11.00" | Paperback 

Resilience is the third colouring book made up of works by Anishnaabe artist Jackie Traverse. As with her previous highly successful colouring books, Sacred Feminine and IKWE, this new book contains both drawings and paintings by Jackie. Resilience honours the Indigenous Peoples who were colonized by and endured the violence of Canada’s child stealing systems — residential schools, the Sixties Scoop and child “welfare.” Some Indigenous people survived those systems; tragically, some did not. Jackie and her art pay tribute to and celebrate the resilience of Indigenous Peoples as they rebuild their communities and lives. Grassroots grandmother Geraldine (Gramma) Shingoose provides a foreword.

Reviews
“It is with great pride that I write this piece for Jackie’s next book. Her colouring books have had great meaning in my role as a Kokum to my grandgirl as we have been able to do this beautiful work together. I grew up learning beadwork and sewing from my grandmothers, who did not speak English, who did not grow up in Residential Schools, and they gave the best of themselves to me. This is what Jackie does for everyone who finds her work. She gives the best of herself, her culture, her gifts. Jackie is a fierce protector of culture and a generous, grand teacher. Her works are gifted to us through her books, her paintings in exhibits, her gifts of skateboards to young people, her live painting auctions for fundraising for the MMIWG2S and education scholarships for Indigenous youth, and in her amazing pieces for the public such as the Coca-Cola Olympics campaign and her project at the Red River College for the Innovation Centre. I have gifted her artwork to friends and family as she captures traditional teachings in her works and the gifting feels like a fine, delicate transfer of energy — of joy, caring, love, pride. I hope that is true for all who find this book by Jackie Traverse. The gift. I say Kichi miigwetch, a big thank you to Jackie Traverse for sharing with all of us.”— Tina Keeper

“Jackie Traverse is a beautiful Indigenous woman artist, leader and friend. Through her advocacy, activism and art, she inspires, supports and contributes so much to so many. I, among countless others, value and appreciate Jackie’s continued contributions. I look forward to copies of this book joining her earlier works, as well as the many pieces of art that I have the privilege of displaying in my office and home.”— Kim Pate

Additional Information
64 pages | 10.00" x 8.00" | Paperback Colouring Book

Arctic ice is a daily consideration for people living above the Arctic circle. Ice is key to successful hunts, ease of travel, and the health of wildlife. This book features sweeping landscape photography of Arctic sea ice in all its forms, accompanied by anecdotes from community members across the North. From traditional stories of what lurks under the ice to harrowing tales of hunters on the ice and traditional knowledge about ice safety and conditions, this book presents the beauty, complexity, and unique challenges of living daily in an ever-evolving icy landscape.

Educator Information
Foreword by Sheila Watt-Cloutier

Additional Information
72 pages | 11.00" x 8.00" | Colour photographs | Hardcover