First Nations artists featured in art exhibition at Chuck MacLean

The works of First Nations artists Tanya Harnett, Alex Janvier and Curtis Johnson are on display at the Chuck MacLean Arts Centre this month in an exhibition entitled "Our Wilderness is Wisdom."

"The artists in this exhibition tell a story using contrasting mediums to carry a message unique to them," states a media release from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program.

First Nations ancestors used metaphors in storytelling for everything, including lessons to teach children how to hunt, sew and live. The simple life they led was reliant on the land they lived in and respected through prayer to the Great Spirit or Creator."

"What is unique for us to remember of this existence and ever flowing change of our society is that we need to return to our roots," says the release. "The artists in the exhibition examine our own lives, and their canvasses are like the soles of their moccasins: the land underneath them is what they understand. Through their paintings they become many voices, telling stories of the past, present and future.,"

"Our Wilderness is Wisdom" may be viewed from 8:30 from 5:00 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and from 8:30 to 9:00 on Wednesday. The exhibition was curated by Heather Shilolinglaw and organized by the Art Gallery of Alberta for the Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program.