Glenbow Museum - Where the World Meets the West

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Current Exhibitions

In addition to our permanent art and artifact displays, Glenbow maintains an active exhibition program throughout the year. Exhibitions are often drawn from our collections. We also host travelling exhibitions from museums and art galleries around the world.

Honouring Tradition:Reframing Native Art

February 16 - July 13, 2008
2nd Floor

Presenting Sponsors
Enbridge and Suncor

Programming Sponsor
Devon Canada

Distance Learning Supporter
Axia NetMedia Corp

Come and experience rich Native art in our new exhibition, Honouring Tradition:
Reframing Native Art
. Past and present meet and interact in this breathtaking display of over 200 colourful objects including shirts, moccasins, baskets, paintings, photographs and mixed media works. Honouring Tradition challenges views which define historical art pieces as separate from contemporary Aboriginal art.

Glenbow collaborated with Aboriginal artist Frederick McDonald to bring you this exhibit. With his help, beautiful artworks were selected from Glenbow's powerful collection. The selected pieces honour the importance of community, the connection to land and place and the tradition of storytelling.

Jane Ash Poitras, Gerald Tailfeathers, Judy Chartrand, Allen Sapp, Bob Boyer,
Joane Cardinal-Schubert, Robert Houle, Alex Janvier and Roger Crait are just a few of the artists featured in this exhibition.

Frederick R. McDonald, Nêhithawak (Woodland Cree) (1957-) Big Bear's Dilemma, Paper Promises, 1998, acrylic on canvas. Collection of Glenbow Museum. Purchased, 1998.  998.041.001.
Frederick R. McDonald, Nêhithawak (Woodland Cree) (1957-) Big Bear's Dilemma,
Paper Promises, 1998, acrylic on canvas.
Collection of Glenbow Museum. Purchased, 1998. 998.041.001.

Tracing History: Presenting the Unpresentable

February 16 - June 22, 2008Adrian Stimson researching Glenbow's collections, October 2007

Sponsored by

Canada Council for the Arts

Tracing History: Presenting the Unpresentable is a complimentary exhibit featuring four contemporary Aboriginal artists. Tanya Harnett, Faye HeavyShield, Terrance Houle and Adrian Stimson have all explored Glenbow's collections and respond with their own new work in this thought-provoking exhibit.

Their art speaks to a sense of history that shifts between truth and fact, past and present, right and wrong. The artists make us see change as an integral part of history, identity and tradition.

Image: Adrian Stimson researching Glenbow's collections, October 2007

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Exhibition Audio Guide

Audio GuideAn audio guide accompanies this exhibition. Included with museum admission, it provides visitors with the chance to hear personal commentary from artists, curators and community Elders involved with the development of the exhibit, all of whom offer unique insights. There are a total of 55 audio tour stops in the exhibition. Free audio wands are available from the Visitor Services Desk in the lobby.

Download these selected highlights from the audio tour. Right click on the audio link and select "Save Target As" to save the file to your computer.

Honouring Tradition:
Podcast101 Adrian Stimson on Wally Dion's Starblanket 01:51 (mp3, 880kb)
Podcast 102 Frederick McDonald intro statement 01:59 (mp3, 939kb)

Honouring Community:
Podcast 112 Faye HeavyShield on Relationships and Identity 01:20 (mp3, 634kb)
Podcast 117 Frederick McDonald on moccasin grouping 00:42 (mp3, 329kb)

Respecting the Land:
Podcast 130 Quyen Hoang on Bruno Canadien's Big Rivers 00:43 (mp3, 345kb)
Podcast 136 Beth Carter on Birchbark Biting 00:43 (mp3, 345kb)
Podcast 137 Frederick MacDonald on Snowshoes 01:16 (mp3, 603kb)

Celebrating our Stories:
Podcast 142 Terrance Houle on his Urban Indian Series 00:44 (mp3, 353kb)
Podcast 144 Tanya Harnett on Ledger Drawing 01:12 (mp3, 571kb)
Podcast 147 Gerald Conaty on Crop Eared Wolf Robe 01:33 (mp3 735kb)

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Exhibition Companion Book

Honouring Tradition book coverThe exhibition will be accompanied by a full colour, 150 page book featuring 75 images and commentary from exhibit contributors.

The breadth of Aboriginal art in this publication, lavishly documented in more than 65 full-colour photographs, honours the importance of community, the connection to land and place and the tradition of storytelling.

This Glenbow produced publication is available for purchase in the Glenbow shop during the run of the exhibition.
Visit the Glenbow Museum Shop.

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Four Curators, One Blog

Honouring Tradition Curators BlogOur goal is to consider both the traditional art forms alongside contemporary paintings and multimedia work. As a curatorial team, we are many voices: Gerry Conaty (Director of Curators), Beth Carter (Ethnology Curator), Quyen Hoang (Art Curator) and Frederick McDonald. Through this blog, we will share our thoughts and ideas as we move forward with the exhibit development.

We invite you to contribute your comments. Visit us at
http://honouringtradition.wordpress.com/

     

 

   

Reweaving a Life

February 22 - September 28, 2008
2nd Floor

Casa con techo de paja en Tlamazcazapa [Thatched house in Tlamacazapa], 2006, Karen Kulyk, gouache and watercolour on paper.

Sponsored by
Riddell Kurczaba Architecture Engineering Interior Design Ltd.

The "Reweaving a Life" art project portrays the daily reality of the Nahua women of Tlamacazapa, Mexico, who live in acute poverty and who are caught in a complex web of social disintegration, coupled with environmental toxicity and water shortage. Life revolves around basket-making, a traditional art, which provides their basic income.

A group of nine Nahua women opened their hearts and their homes to artists who produced a series of paintings, each portraying aspects of their lives and the coming social changes. The process of interacting with the artists and engaging in reflective processes about their lives, their work and their hopes is the beginning of a unique journey for these women.

A combination of traditional basketry and contemporary art about the basket makers, "Reweaving A Life" enables a strong and courageous group of Indigenous women to place increased value on their work and on themselves as individuals.

Image: Casa con techo de paja en Tlamazcazapa [Thatched house in Tlamacazapa], 2006, Karen Kulyk, gouache and watercolour on paper.

Situation Rez: Kainai Students Take Action with Art

Exhibit continues through 2008
Native Cultures gallery, 3rd floor
Delia Cross Child, “aatsimoyihkaan...prayer”, 2006

What happens when a group of high school students begins to explore HIV and AIDS and how it impacts their community?

For Kainai High School students in Standoff, Alberta, it became an opportunity to express their thoughts with art. These students have been learning about the threat of HIV and AIDS and understanding how the choices they make for themselves and for the community, can help prevent the spread of the disease. Their art utilizes traditional symbols to create powerful messages promoting prevention, intervention and healthy lifestyles for all people in their community.

The exhibit is a unique collaboration between Glenbow Museum, the Red Cross and Kainai High School.

Image: Delia Cross Child, “aatsimoyihkaan...prayer”, 2006

Dream: A Tale Of Wonder, Wisdom & Wishes

August 18, 2007 to July 6, 2008Dream A Tale of Wonder, Wisdom and Wishes by Susan V. Bosak.
Art Gallery, 4th Floor

Watch as Glenbow's 4th floor art gallery transforms into Dream: A Tale of Wonder, Wisdom & Wishes. This exhibit features amazing original artwork created by 15 top children's illustrators from five countries, including Governor General's Award winner Barbara Reid and two-time Caldecott Medal winners Leo and Diane Dillon. Come see everything from watercolour and collage to digital and plasticine pieces.

The exhibit is based on the award-winning bestselling book Dream by Susan V. Bosak which tells a multilayered, poetic story about hopes and dreams across a lifetime. It has won a remarkable 11 national awards. Says The Bloomsbury Review, "Richly crafted and thoughtfully written, 'Dream' is a dazzling project that challenges us to find a dream and follow it."

You're never too young or too old to dream! Explore the power of dreams and the power of art to inspire us to achieve those dreams.

Temples of India: Photographs by Niru Bhatia

Temples of India: Photographs by Niru BhatiaMay 2006 - ongoing
Art of Asia gallery on 2nd floor

Photographer Niru Bhatia has travelled off the beaten track to record the glorious temples, sculptures and art of the many regions of India. Many of these locations have now been declared UNESCO World Heritage sites.  From 5th century ruins to elaborate modern centres of worship, this photography exhibit showcases the vibrancy and continuity of Indian cultures.

     
     
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