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Today I attended a summit on the intersection of arts/design/technology. I've never been to such a thing before, and saw there would be peer-to-peer break-out sessions. Not knowing what these were, I looked them up. To paraphrase, a break-out session is typically a small group discussion used to break up a series of lectures. It lets people interact with one another to share knowledge and raise questions relevant to the theme of the summit. Thus prepared, I listened to a talk put on by the head of an art gallery. Her topic was on inclusivity and decolonization. I listened, intrigued, as she talked about how a Muslim women's group had become very involved with the gallery, creating new avenues for inclusivity for all sorts of cultures/languages/backgrounds. I think that's pretty cool.
Next, she talked about decolonization. This is where things got a bit confusing for me. She talked about how it was bizarre that there is no comparable Group of Seven fame-wise for Canadian indigenous artists, and how that was ridiculous considering the number of excellent indigenous artists historically. Then she talked about how this made them rethink how they offered public workshops. It was inappropriate, she said, to hold a "paint like the masters" workshop.
This part makes no sense to me at all. Why? Michelangelo and Da Vinci are incredible artists. Anyone who learns that kind of skill is not losing anything. And one of the foremost current indigenous artist, Kent Monkman, has a classical art background. He uses these skills brilliantly to bring attention to the atrocities done in the name of colonization. This very artist recently had an exhibit in the gallery.
Now, here's where things get ironic. At the end of her talk, the floor was opened up for discussion. A white guy raised his hand and asked his question. As soon as his question was answered by the lecturer, I raised my hand to ask a question.
And that's when we were informed there was no time for further questions.
How ironic is it that a white person gets to talk during a discussion group on decolonization, but an indigenous person does not?
I'm not dissing the guy in question at all. Of course he should have a right to ask a question. But I have to admit, it kinda chafed at me that I didn't get to ask my question. So I'll ask it here.
If, as a disenfranchised indigenous person, I have not had the opportunity to learn traditional Inuit or Mi'kmaq arts, and it is now considered politically incorrect for me to learn to paint like the European master artists, what sort of art education is it expedient that I receive? Where can I learn more about indigenous art styles?
Perhaps you would like to have this dialogue with me.
Next, she talked about decolonization. This is where things got a bit confusing for me. She talked about how it was bizarre that there is no comparable Group of Seven fame-wise for Canadian indigenous artists, and how that was ridiculous considering the number of excellent indigenous artists historically. Then she talked about how this made them rethink how they offered public workshops. It was inappropriate, she said, to hold a "paint like the masters" workshop.
This part makes no sense to me at all. Why? Michelangelo and Da Vinci are incredible artists. Anyone who learns that kind of skill is not losing anything. And one of the foremost current indigenous artist, Kent Monkman, has a classical art background. He uses these skills brilliantly to bring attention to the atrocities done in the name of colonization. This very artist recently had an exhibit in the gallery.
Now, here's where things get ironic. At the end of her talk, the floor was opened up for discussion. A white guy raised his hand and asked his question. As soon as his question was answered by the lecturer, I raised my hand to ask a question.
And that's when we were informed there was no time for further questions.
How ironic is it that a white person gets to talk during a discussion group on decolonization, but an indigenous person does not?
I'm not dissing the guy in question at all. Of course he should have a right to ask a question. But I have to admit, it kinda chafed at me that I didn't get to ask my question. So I'll ask it here.
If, as a disenfranchised indigenous person, I have not had the opportunity to learn traditional Inuit or Mi'kmaq arts, and it is now considered politically incorrect for me to learn to paint like the European master artists, what sort of art education is it expedient that I receive? Where can I learn more about indigenous art styles?
Perhaps you would like to have this dialogue with me.
