Demanding a Response: Contemporary Aboriginal Art History in Saskatchewan

Since the 1960s, Saskatchewan’s cultural identity has been transformed by the influential practices of artists of Aboriginal descent. These artists have challenged and expanded artistic conventions through the creation of compelling work that demands a response. These works often confront viewers with their assumptions, forcing an awareness of personal and cultural identity as key elements of the works’ interpretation.

The purpose of this exhibition, the second in the Saskatchewan Art History Series, is to stimulate a discussion of Saskatchewan’s art history in the context of the work of these artists, emphasizing the importance of political and cultural perspectives in the understanding of art.

Featuring work from the permanent collection of the MacKenzie Art Gallery, with additions from the permanent collections of the Dunlop Art Gallery, Native Heritage Foundation of Canada (First Nations University of Canada Collection), and the Saskatchewan Arts Board, this exhibition addresses a part of Saskatchewan’s ongoing art history by spanning work made in the second half of the twentieth-century.

Drawing upon many generations of art making, this exhibition features Bob Boyer, Ruth Cuthand, Mary Longman, Gerald McMaster, Angelique Merasty, Edward Poitras, Sherry Farrell Racette, Allen Sapp and Sarain Stump, among others.