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Gordon's Indian Residential School 5/6, 2013

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The relationship between the work and the viewer is intended to be uncomfortable, given the subject matter and reference to the culture issue of residential schools and the resulting intergenerational trauma.

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Old Sun, 2019 by artist Adrian Stimson. "Inheritance" exhibit at the Art Gallery of Alberta. Oil on canvas. Large scale piece.

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The artist Adrian Stimson is an interdisciplinary artist and a member of the Siksika (Blackfoot) Nation. "His paintings are primarily monochromatic, they primarily depict bison in imagined landscapes, they are melancholic, memorializing, and sometimes whimsical, they evoke ideas cultural fragility, resilience and nostalgia... His performance art looks at identity construction, specifically the hybridization of the Indian, the cowboy, the shaman and Two Spirit being... His installation work primarily examines the residential school experience; he attended three residential schools in his life. He has used the material culture from Old Sun Residential School on his Nation to create works that speak to genocide, loss and resilience." (1)

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Sign on the door of the gallery, before entering the exhibit.

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This exhibition addresses histories of racism and oppression, including anti-Black racism, the internment of Japanese Canadians and the Indian Residential School system.

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Inheritance is a curated exhibit at the Art Gallery of Alberta running from January 22 to May 1, 2022. The artists showcased in this exhibit, Deanna Bowen, Steven Nunoda, and Adrian Stimson share their respective family histories and stories of racism and oppression. Their work in this exhibit demonstrates how history impacts the present and future.

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Lines: There is a common red line that runs across the peripheral canvases throughout the three pieces in the exhibit. Looking at the three pieces together, I think that this red line represents a heartbeat (as seen on a heartbeat monitor in a hospital) that is a metaphor for the vitality of the Indigenous way of life.

Pictorial Space: This piece creates the illusion of actual space with the overlapping of bison skulls in the peripheral canvases and the linear perspective creating depth in the landscape. The man on the horse and the children in the foreground appear larger, and thus closer, relative to the school in the background.

Colour: The artist is known for creating monochromatic artwork. Regardless, I believe that there is a distinct and intentional lack of colour in this piece, to convey the darkness, gloom, and seriousness of the residential school system. The only colour used is red to accent the school and lines.

Emphasis: The centre of attention in this piece is comprised of three main images, the large white/ghost bison, the red residential school, and the Indigenous man/spirit in the sky. When I first approached the artwork, this was the exact order of images/subjects that caught my eye.

Balance: I believe that this work demonstrates asymmetrical or informal balance, despite the dissimilar shapes and details. Balance is achieved through the consistent use of dark colours near light colours and the weight of the figures/subjects on both sides of a centre. Furthermore, the two canvases on either side of the main feature, depicting very similar patterns, serve as an additional element of balance.

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(1)https://www.youraga.ca/bio/adrian-stimson
(2)https://www.youraga.ca/exhibitions/inheritance
(3)https://adrianstimson.com/portfolio/bison-paintings/
(4)https://adrianstimson.com/portfolio/buffalo-boy-burning-man/
(5)https://adrianstimson.com/portfolio/old-sun/
(6)https://beta.ctvnews.ca/local/edmonton/2022/1/22/1_5751164.amp.html
(7)https://pennecon.com/app/uploads/2021/09/every-child-matters.jpg
(8)http://rmooc.ca/news/new-work-by-adrian-stimson/
(9)https://artsandscience.usask.ca/news/articles/1895/Artist_Adrian_Stimson_receives_Governor_General_s_Award
(10)https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/adrian-stimson-siksika-first-nation-governor-generals-award-art-1.4548598
(11)https://education.alberta.ca/media/482114/elemart.pdf
(12)https://education.alberta.ca/media/3273004/social-studies-k-6-pos.pdf

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After reading about the piece at the gallery, speaking with the gallery attendant, and chatting with a fellow educator visiting the exhibit, I was able to further develop my understanding and appreciation of the piece. I learned that the artist and his family have multiple connections to Residential Schools. Adrian Stimson attended Gordon's Indian Residential School and Lebret Indian Industrial Residential School, his father attended Old Sun Boarding School. Adrian and his father would unpack and compare their experiences in residential schools. Adrian's great-grandfather was a chief named Natos-api (Old Sun), he is the namesake of the Old Sun Boarding School built on the Siksika (Blackfoot) Nation. Adrian Stimson's three works (Old Sun, Gordon's, and Lebret) are meant to showcase the intergenerational impact of residential schools on individuals and communities, namely how to process the past, shape the present, and move forward in the future.
In my research, I noticed that in Adrian Stimson's other works regarding residential schools, he uses the same architecture to depict the residential school buildings. In his works Old Sun, Gordon's, and Lebret the school buildings look identical despite the works being titled after different residential schools. I also noticed that the sky in Old Sun looks very similar to the sky in Adrian's series of six paintings combining storm-chasing photographs with residential schools. (7) I think that the stormy sky depicted in his artwork is intended as a metaphor for the hostile, violent, and destructive nature of residential schools.
Bison are a reoccurring subject in Adrian Stimson's art because they are an important, giving, life-sustaining and spiritual animal in Indigenous culture. Today, the bison is viewed as a symbol for truth and reconciliation. In the 19th century, the development of the West and the building of the Railway lead to the commercialization of the bison, which lead to the near extinction of the bison. Ultimately leading to the end of the Bison Hunt and the traditional way of life Indigenous people.

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Arts Program of Studies Connections (11)
Reflection: responses to visual forms in nature, designed objects and artworks.
Expression: use of art materials as a vehicle or medium for saying something in a meaningful way.

Social Studies Cross Curricular Connections (12)
Grade 4 - Alberta: The Land, Histories and Stories
General Outcome 4.2: The Stories, Histories and Peoples of Alberta. Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the role of stories, history and culture in strengthening communities and contributing to identity and a sense of belonging.
4.2.1 appreciate how an understanding of Alberta’s history, peoples and stories contributes to their own sense of belonging and identity: recognize the presence and influence of diverse Aboriginal peoples as inherent to Alberta’s culture and identity
4.2.2 assess, critically, how the cultural and linguistic heritage and diversity of Alberta has evolved over time by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions and issues: What do the stories of Aboriginal peoples tell us about their beliefs regarding the relationship between people and the land?
General Outcome 4.3: Alberta: Celebrations and Challenges. Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of how Alberta has grown and changed culturally, economically and socially since 1905.
4.3.3 examine, critically, Alberta’s changing cultural and social dynamics by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions and issues: In what ways have Aboriginal peoples and communities changed over time?
Grade 5 - Canada: The Land, Histories and Stories
General Outcome 5.2: Histories and Stories of Ways of Life in Canada. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the people and the stories of Canada and their ways of life over time, and appreciate the diversity of Canada’s heritage.
5.2.1 appreciate the complexity of identity in the Canadian context: acknowledge oral traditions, narratives and stories as valid sources of knowledge about the land and diverse Aboriginal cultures and history.

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Adrian's Bison, 2022 by Evelyn Gorman. Acrylic paint on black construction paper.

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Laundry List: bison skulls, a bison (ghost?), a red building (like a school, a residential school?), an Indigenous man in the clouds/sky, a man on a horse, children kneeling, a red line.
My first impression of this piece was that it was dark and somber, mostly shades of black and white with some red accents. The gallery was dimly lit and silent, no music.
At first, I thought the left and right canvases were depicting human bones, but upon further inspection I realized that it was bison skulls. The piece is 3 canvases hung side-by-side, complimenting each other.
Before doing any further research or inquiry of the exhibit and this particular piece, I thought it was about residential schools. I know that the bison is an important animal in Indigenous culture, the white bison in the painting looks like a ghost. Perhaps it represents the death of the Indigenous way of life? The man in the clouds could also be a ghost or spirit of an Indigenous elder. I see a small cross on top of the red building, which leads me to believe that it is a residential school. This idea is supported by the figures kneeling in the image, likely Indigenous children.