Corry’s New Beginnings by Bryson

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Donald Corry, a clay miner from England, and his wife, Gladys, homesteaded in Ravenscrag, SK in the early 20th Century. They lived in a log house that was relocated from Ravenscrag to the Eastend Historical Museum in the late 1980s, where it remains to this day. My most recent digital storytelling workshop was held at this museum. Digital storytelling is a wonderful way to add narrative to historical photographs. Bryson LaBoissiere works at the museum in Eastend and created this digital story about the Corry couple.

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Bryson working on her digital story at the Eastend Historical Museum

Muskoday’s Tile Mosaic

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Before July15, most (if not all) of the ceramic tile work I had done had been executed in a clay studio, my studio, or at my make-shift outdoor studio (which really is a big table under a canopy ten feet from my actual studio). Now, however, I can say that I have co-created a very large (four by eight feet, to be precise) broken tile mosaic in the bush alongside the Saskatchewan River.

Awhile back, Marvin Sanderson, of Muskoday First Nation, invited me to work with a youth group during one of their Culture Camps.  After discussing a few different options, Marvin asked that I facilitate a tile mosaic of one of their Clan Mothers (the Wolf Clan), with the future intention of then installing said mosaic at Muskoday’s Powwow Grounds, in the picnic area, during Culture Days weekend.

So, on July 15, I was taken down a very bumpy dirt road to Muskoday’s metaphorical “Island,” which is where the camp is located.

They’ve nicknamed this space “The Island” even though it’s still connected to land.  But, after spending some time there, I feel it is aptly named.  It is a distinct place where the youth and children of Muskoday can come and camp for three days in the middle of the week, during the month of July.  They have fun and celebrate and engage in their Culture.  There’s archery, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, story telling, talking circles, fishing, and more.

Shortly after I arrived, Marvin gathered the group so I could speak with them.  I shared with them my story of how I became a full-time Visual Artist, showed them some photos of my artwork, some photos of examples of what I hoped we could achieve, and then we quickly got to work.

I set up three wood panels of plywood that would make up the entire mosaic on empty coolers in their ‘kitchen’ area, and asked for a volunteer to draw the wolf image we had decided to use.  I also did a demonstration of how to break the tile, and asked a group to begin that task.  And, lastly, I showed them how to glue the broken tile onto the plywood.

And that was it. For the next three days, kids came to the panels and worked on them when they wanted and could.

Some worked in small groups.  Others would come in solitary fashion.  But, indeed, they did work.  In three days they finished the entire foreground: the wolf, the ground, the moon, and the clouds.

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Stories of the land from Eastend, SK

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“Better to go outdoors. Better to see the flash of warblers in the willows, to smell the spicy aroma of sage, to hear the bright gurgle of the creek as it speeds under the footbridge. Better just to be here and try to accept the solace of this land that refuses to let us forget.”

– Candace Savage, A Geography of Blood

I’ve been staying in Eastend, SK in a charming house that was mail-ordered from an Eaton’s catalogue many years ago. Eastend is home to an Arts Council and the Wallace Stegner House, which provides residency to artists. It’s a quiet, friendly town with a population of approximately 600. The Eastend Historical Museum is hosting one of my digital storytelling workshops July 17-18.

While packing the car for the drive here, my roommate came out of our house and handed me Candace Savage’s award-winning book, A Geography of Blood, which is set in Eastend and Cypress Hills. “Have you read this?” He asked. I hadn’t, though I’d almost bought it several times at various bookstores. It seems serendipitous that I’d held out on reading it until now.

Savage, a Saskatchewan writer, who has stayed at the Stegner House, and now owns a house in Eastend, admirably balances her appreciation for this stunning landscape with an acknowledgement of her white-settler background. In A Geography of Blood, she delves into the disturbing history of Cypress Hills, specifically the government-sanctioned slaughter of bison to purposefully starve Indigenous people, the massacre of the Nakoda at Fort Walsh, and the establishment of farms in the name of so-called progress. Savage digs up the uncomfortable stories buried in the hills and valleys of the Plains while maintaining her love and appreciation for the land.

Here are some photos that were taken on the drive to Eastend and around this area.

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1947 REO Speedwagon near Caronport

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The band, REO Speedwagon, was named after a truck like this.

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Canola field near Caronport

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Cotton Candy Cloud in Eastend

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Bald Butte at Cypress Hills Provincial Park

A new perspective

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When driving through the farm fields of Saskatchewan, I’ve always been curious as to why abandoned barns and shacks are left barely standing, ready to return to the soil. I find them oddly beautiful structures and each one is like looking at a house of cards ready to tumble. Why not knock them down and clear the area?

In an upcoming SaskScapes podcast I spent an afternoon driving around my guest, Bill Warrington on his family farm. I asked him this very question. The next thing I knew Bill was cutting across his own wheat field, me bumping along beside him in his white truck, and then we came to a stop.

There stood (or rather leaned) an old wooden house. Bill is so proud of his family history and in 2011 had a plaque erected to honour the Warrington family homestead built one hundred years earlier. This was the home in which Bill’s ancestors lived, 13 children raised in this small shack! We mused about the pressure of having to get along under cramped quarters.

And in that moment, I realized why many of these dishevelled monuments are left standing. Within their toppling walls there are family stories to be remembered. How many of these landmarks are left standing to preserve the past? It was also pointed out to me, that in many cases they provide shelter for wildlife. I’ll never look at them quite the same way again.

July 1st Celebrations with LMLCC

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Preparing to make pinch pots!

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Crowd gathering around the demo!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I spent July 1st with LMLCC (Last Mountain Lake Cultural Centre) at Regina Beach, for the Canada Day Celebrations.  I helped them prepare for their upcoming “Pit Firing,” which will take place on July 12.  In doing so, I invited people to come and make a pinch pot, which will then be fired in the pit firing.  I also encouraged them to come participate in the LMLCC event and claim their pot.

The pit firing will begin around noon with the digging of  ‘the hole’ at Regina Beach. Jay Kimball, LMLCC Artist in Residence, will facilitate this process.  As he describes it, after the pit has been dug, he lays a bed of firewood in the pit, and covers that bed with the clay pots that have been made and bisqued in previous weeks.  Other ‘elements’ are added (like iron, chrome, and copper) which  create colour on the pottery, he says.  Another layer of wood is added and then the fire is lit.

It takes about four hours for the fire to burn out.  At that point, the clay pots are pulled from the ashes and laid in the sand to cool.  Once that’s done people are then encouraged to find their piece and enjoy their creation.

 

 

 

 

 

Tire Planters Set in Place

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It was the second last day of school, so I was anticipating the work ethic might be weak.  But, boy! was I ever surprised!

A small group of senior students of JH Moore Elementary worked tirelessly to get the planters in place before their summer break.  A couple of the boys dug dirt for four hours straight!

In brief, we moved the tires into place, starting with the first layer, filled them with dirt, put the second and third layer on, lined them with tarp and then filled them with dirt.

How wonderful it was that when we finished an educational assistant and student came out of the school right away and planted rose bushes into three of the planters.  Then the principal informed me that a grandmother from the community was coming the next day to plant flowers.

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Windscape Kite Festival

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If you haven’t been to the WindScape Kite Festival in Swift Current, you really must go!

I had an incredible time, and I didn’t even take in any of the awesome nighttime concerts.

Although my days were filled with volunteering (face painting and kite making), I did get some time to peruse the grounds and was completely taken aback by all the activities: a Kinetic Sculptural Garden, whimsical characters on stilts, a hay bale maze, hourly shows of humour and dance, juggling and balancing acts, bubble stations … and more (so much more!).

For me, the highlight was arriving on site.  There was something so thrilling about following the signs through the city, anticipation mounting, to finally come around a corner and see such enormous kites flying high in the air.

My days with the kids and volunteers were equally satisfying (although also very exhausting). I have done face painting before, but never to that extent. What a lesson in culture that was.  Although there were pages of photos the kids could choose from, inevitably there were those who wanted to choose something different.  And some of those choices required a bit of education (on my part, not theirs)!  I learned much about the latest trends and fashions.

And in my last volunteer shift at the kite-making station, I learned about the heart of this festival… and I guess, one could say, the heart of Saskatchewan culture in general.  I have heard that we are the volunteer capital of North America.  But until this festival, my understanding of this claim was purely intellectual, not visceral.

Many interactions brought about this understanding.

One was learning that a guy named David single-handedly prepped all the kite materials for this festival.  And he did it via volunteering.  He cut every template, prepared every board of tape, and cut (and shaped) every piece of doweling.  After my one shift, I am estimating that’s approximately 1500-2000 templates cut from garbage bags, and therefore 3000-4000 sticks of doweling.  I’m not going to do the math on how many pieces of tape this man cut.

Then in my last hour of volunteering, there was the lady (twice my age) who told me that this was her sixth year volunteering.  My feet were killing me and here she was smiling away telling me how she did it because she loved seeing the kids so happy. “Not one bad kid in six years. Not one!” she said.

And these are just two examples.  This whole incredible cultural event is founded on volunteers.  I heart culture, indeed!

 

Fort Qu’appelle’s new Centre for the Arts

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This weeks SaskScapes podcast was recorded in Fort Qu’appelle’s Old Central School. This grand piece of architecture was slated for demolition in 2011. You’ll hear my guest Doreen Evans share the story of when she cornered Jim Harding, the mayor of Fort San, in a local coffee shop and said “Jim, you’ve got to help save the school”. You’ll also hear my other guest, Jack Lowe share stories of being a student in the school.

The great news is that the school was saved, and is now home to the Fort Qu’appelle Centre for the Arts. I had a chance to tour the building and the work they are doing is remarkable. The dedicated committee is making every attempt to maintain the original interior fixtures where possible.

There are big plans for this centre, which will house dance studios, rehearsal, performance and gallery spaces as well as visual arts workshops. There is a call for emerging and established artists and craftspeople to come and show their work on either a short-term or long-term basis.

The team is so committed to bringing this vision to life, that a few dedicated souls are donating their time and skills to do some of the renovations themselves.

This is a true community effort, all in the name of creative arts.

In the next SaskScapes podcast you’ll have an opportunity to hear my conversation with mayor Jim Harding who shares with me how this dream began, and the plans for the future. I’m always so excited when I learn that Saskatchewan has a new arts centre for all to enjoy.

A Forest of Local Folklore

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Driving back from my second visit to Waldheim, my traveling companions and I decided to take a little detour.  We veered off course a bit to visit a place I have been wanting to see for years: The Crooked Forest.

Adding to my own anticipation, the detour took us down two unmarked dirt roads–the latter significantly narrower than the first. And then, all of a sudden, in the proverbial ‘middle of nowhere’ was a grove of unusual trees, with a small sign designating that we had reached our destination.

The Aspen in this bush are crooked, gnarled and shaped in such a way that they are worth the trip just for the visual experience alone.  In some places the trees twist along the ground, and then in other places they coil through the air.

According to the sign the trees are “a botanical mystery.”  And indeed they are.  But I mention them here for another reason.

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In the Crooked Forest!

After posting this photo on Facebook and describing my own experience–bodily sensations, batteries being drained, cell service immediately ending, etc. – I received numerous replies telling similar tales. People not only shared their experiences but they also explained their rationale for the mysterious trees.

A Google search amplified the plethora of local folklore ten-fold.  The explanations for said forest ranged from alien urine, to energy vortexes, to bacteria.

Regardless of the reason why these trees grow they way they do, the effect of their peculiarity in terms of culture, is a stark reminder of the importance of place in local folklore.  In this instance, this tiny grove of trees is the source of countless stories and tall tales.  This grove of unusual trees is a microcosmic example of how local folklore defines a people and community.

The stories we tell about geographical phenomena, old buildings, landmarks of various sorts, places of significance in general, all help to form and define our communities.  They tie people together via experience and belief and create micro-cultures that contribute to  a larger, more diverse macro-culture.

 

 

Making Origami Boats at “Arts in the Park”

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One of the Culture Days projects I am facilitating is a collaboration between Rockin’ Beach,  Arts in the Park Festival, Rockglen Library and Rockglen School.  We are going to make origami boats during the summer and early fall.  Then on the Culture Days weekend, we will put a small candle in them and set them afloat on Fife Lake during a dusk gathering at Rockglen Beach.

The kick-off for this project took place at the Arts in the Park Festival (June 14) at Rockglen School.  This wonderful little festival included all genres of art: live music, award winning authors, painters, knitters, quilting, photography and more.

I nestled in between an incredible Fibre/Earth Art display that investigated the aesthetics of decomposition on fibre and a young entrepreneur who aspires to be a ‘nail artist.’  And judging from the continuous line of customers I’d say that ten year old is well on her way to actualizing her dream.

I had approximately 20 people stop and make a boat, and I’m sure I talked to at least another twenty about our endeavours.

Many from an older generation stopped to tell me they had made such boats in school, and that they could remember it clearly.

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Making origami boats!

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Even fun for the boys!

I have made plans to return to the community a couple more times to carry-out more workshops: once in the Regional Library and once at the School.

Come join us!  And watch for the boats during Culture Days!