Wednesday 26 January 2011

Salish Seas anthology + art show

Presented by Gallery Gachet and The Aboriginal Writers Collective West Coast
SALISH SEAS
Curated by Tania Willard
Feb 4th - Feb 27th 2011

Opening night with readings: Fri Feb 4th, 7pm
Closing Publication Readings & Launch: Sat Feb 26th, 6pm

Talking Stick Festival and The Aboriginal Writers Collective West Coast present an evening of readings featuring:
Lee Maracle, Russell Wallace, Janet Rogers, Wil George, Michelle Sylliboy, Joanne Arnott, Greg Coyes, Gunargie O'Sullivan & Wanda John
Mon Feb 7th, 7pm @ The Pond, 1441 Commercial Dr
Salish Seas is an exhibition of works by prominent & emerging Aboriginal artists in conjunction with the upcoming anthology, Salish Seas: An anthology of text + image. This project offers perspective to urban Aboriginal peoples living within these Coast Salish lands who are influenced and inspired by the Salish Sea and its associated rivers.
Salish languages are a grouping of indigenous languages of the Pacific NorthWest (BC and adjacent American states). The power of our words, either in our original languages or in English is manifest in the new and powerful works by the The Aboriginal Writers Collective West Coast, a collective of Aboriginal writers and multidisciplinary artists.

Curated by Tania Willard and featuring work by artists Sonny Assu, Janice Toulouse, Charlene Vickers, Merritt Johnson, Kevin McKenzie, Duncan Murdoch, Dionne Paul, joAnne Noble, Cease Wyss, Kelly Roulette, Kamala Todd and Michelle Sylliboy.

Artist works featured in the publication and exhibition include installation, painting, digital illustration and video. From Sonny Assu's culture jamming Coke Salish print to expressive paintings by Janice Toulouse dealing with Aboriginal relationship to land, this exhibition examines ideas of home, origin, identity and honouring the land we come from, the sea and the rivers that connect us.

Kamala Todd's film, Indigenous Plant Diva documents the urban aboriginal and plant based knowledge of Coast Salish artist Cease Wyss. Wyss's work in the exhibition showcases three generations of Coast Salish women in vibrant digital illustrations from the book, Squamish People of the Sunset Coast. joAnne Noble's powerful crow mandala image and Kelly Roulette's portrait painting of a Native woman offer a strong aesthetic experience of the West Coast. Dionne Paul's Coast Salish borders offers an abstract approach to representing West Coast territories; while Michelle Sylliboy's close up images of the sea makes you feel like you are standing on a beach. All works are united in an exploration of living on the Coast surrounded by and connected to the Salish Sea and all the rivers that connect to it.

The Aboriginal Writers Collective West Coast publication, Salish Seas: An Anthology of Text + Image will be launched at the exhibition closing, Sat Feb. 26th at 6pm at Gallery Gachet featuring a number of writers form the collective including Garry Gottfriedson and Michelle Sylliboy. 

Presented by the Talking Stick festival authors from the book including, Janet Rogers, Wil George, Russell Wallace, Greg Coyes, Wanda John and Joanne Arnott, will read at The Pond on Commercial Drive. Mon Feb.7th at 7pm.


To purchase Salish Seas anthology please contact Strong Nations (follow link)

Monday 24 January 2011

1992: turtle love

Taipei bicycle (1992)
rooftop investigations (1992)



Where were you in 1992?






I was in Taipei with my two eldest sons & their dad. Dad was studying Mandarin language, mom was working for the professors at the Institute of Oceanography.

I wrote a lot of poems that I never published, and I learned new ways to pray.

I took a lot of photographs, too.


rooftop living (1992)


My memory is of riding the bus

trapped
in an endless traffic jam


home to school, school to work, work to school, school to home

pocked with wondrous moments

noticing how different people do things differently
how much more child-friendly seemed the Taiwanese way of doing things




second home (1992)













the poetry of naming:
Dragon's Pillow (1992)


















Taipei topiary (1992)


these endless workers,
parents of the very young











Taipei topiary (turtle love)



Photographs by Joanne Arnott, with the exception of "second home"
by Brian W. Campbell

 

Wednesday 12 January 2011

Aboriginal Writers Collective west coast: a teaser

Two years ago, some local indigenous writers decided that it might be fun to be in touch, and see one another more often between gigs, and keep in touch via e-group as well... happy to report, we are still at it!

We have been working hard on an anthology project all year, soon to be unveiled...
Russell Wallace designed our logo

Here, though, a few teasers from our first two years:


 Ache to Flow- Aboriginal Writers Collective West Coast


"A collective poem by the Aboriginal Writers Collective-Westcoast written by Tia Hoppington-Scott, Janet Rogers, Freda Wallace, Russell Wallace, Rita Wong.

Created May 2009 at Open Mouth/Open Mic in Vancouver, BC Canada"
--Russell Wallace, May 2009

Aboriginal Rhythms

-- Wil George, June 2009


Honouring Vera Manuel

One of two June events done in collaboration with World Poetry. Vera received a Lifetime Achievement Award on that evening. Native Education College hosted the second event, a Day of Poetry.


Four Elements Reading

poster by Michelle Sylliboy
"This was an amazing evening of poetry and music I organized with the Aboriginal Writers Collective West Coast. We put out a call for emerging and professional poets to write or read work based on the four elements Earth, Fire, Water and Air, and fundraised for the Leave Out Violence program for youth (LOVE). Special thanks to videographer Suzi Bekkattla for making this possible to air online. Please enjoy a multi-cultural collaborative evening of poetry and music featuring Afuwa Granger, Fiona Tinwei Lam, Gunargie Osullivan, Chrystos, Joanne Arnott, Janet Rogers, Laiwan, Michelle Sylliboy, Russell Wallace, Rita Wong, Sara Kendall, Trevor Carolan and Love Participants. Also musical collaborators Justin from LOVE, Katheryn Peterson and Russell Wallace and Rhizome Cafe located on 317 East Broadway, Vancouver, B.C."
--Michelle Sylliboy, July 2009

The complete event was aired on Co-op Radio, with thanks to Gunargie O'Sullivan & Donald Morin for their kind & generous support!


Featuring Chrystos:


Featuring Russell Wallace:


More readings from the evening:

Featuring Afwa Granger

Featuring Laiwan

Featuring Fiona Tinwei Lam

Featuring Michelle Sylliboy

C'est moi! 

Thanks to Taliaq for posting all these!

National Aboriginal Day 2010: Memorial For Vera

This was an opportunity to acknowledge the life and loving impact of Vera Manuel. For more details, see my earlier post, june 21 2010: journeys & the June 21st Gathering post on the companion site,  Vera Manuel Tribute.



Thanks to Duncan Mercredi & the Aboriginal Writers Collective of Manitoba, fingers crossed we'll have a collective communion in the spring!

Stay tuned for upcoming announcements re: our Salish Seas project!