Contest encourages Aboriginal youth to explore historical themes
- EFN Staff | March 08, 2015
A young artist’s research into her own identity was the inspiration behind her winning piece of art.
Nicole Paul created “Keeper of the Voice” originally as a way to honour and memorialize residential school survivors. Hers was part of an offering at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada hearings.
While researching the project, Paul also began trying to reconnect with her own Aboriginal identity.
“It is from both these experiences that I really started to take a political stance on my artwork,” she says. “One thing I learned from my time with the elders was how much the loss of their language damaged their cultural identity and ability to connect with their traditional world views.
“It is believed that we are only able to communicate with the Creator in our mother tongue and without that we lose our connection to the spirits. That is why I believe language is so important to any cultural group (not just indigenous groups) and why I chose to focus on creating awareness to the need to restore and rehabilitate dying aboriginal languages.”
Paul submitted her artwork to the annual Aboriginal Arts & Stories competition and won the 2014 Art Category. It was actually her second submission; her first didn’t place, but she wasn’t discouraged.
“To me, it was never about 'winning',” she explains. “It was wanting to spread my message to as many people as I could. I believe it was my passion and message that shone through in the end. If you have something you feel strongly about don't hide it, show it to the world and get your story out there!”
The contest is open to Status and non-Status First Nations, Inuit, and Métis between the ages of 14 and 29 years old. There is also a category for emerging writers and artists between the ages of 11 and 13 years old.
Participants are invited to create a piece of art or writing that explores a moment or theme in Aboriginal history or culture. Those who submit are asked to include a 200 to 400 word Artist’s or Author’s Statement that explains how the piece reflects or interprets the moment or theme they selected.
The contest is a great classroom or workshop activity too since groups of 6 or more who submit their work together are eligible for an additional group prize.
Paul reflects on the life of her father and his siblings in her Artist Statement.
“My father and his siblings were alls tripped of their language from a young age,” she wrote in her statement. “It was during the time of residential school placement that many Indigenous children, like my father, were separated from their families and forced to assimilate into Eurocentric ideals.
“With this painting I am challenging the institutional racism and ill effects colonialism has had on the people of my heritage. I hope to bring a voice to those who are no longer able to speak. I want my piece to inspire and motivate people to preserve and bring our languages back to life. Histories and legends are all passed down through tales and this is the beginning of my story.”
For more information on the Aboriginal Arts & Stories contest, visit their website. Contest deadline is March 31, 2015.
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