Across the Turtle’s Back: The Kampelmacher Memorial Collection of Indigenous Art

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"Across the Turtle’s Back: The Kampelmacher Memorial Collection of Indigenous Art," 2016

installation view, A promised donation the MacKenzie Art Gallery. MacKenzie Art Gallery, Photo: Olivia Brennan

This fall, the MacKenzie presents a remarkable exhibition of artwork taken from the Kampelmacher Memorial Collection of Indigenous Art, providing a glimpse into a collection of over 1,000 works by First Nations, Métis, Inuit, North American, and Indigenous artists from across Turtle Island.

Currently on view at the MacKenzie, this exhibition features 245 artworks from the Kampelmacher Memorial Collection, including a promised donation to the MacKenzie Art Gallery’s Permanent Collection of approximately 100 works, providing insight into the eclectic vision of Yellowknife collectors Thomas Druyan and Alice Ladner. Named in honour of Druyan’s grandparents, Wolf and Sala Kampelmacher, this remarkable collection has been developed over almost a quarter century, and represents a myriad of artistic expression from across North America.

“One of the Gallery’s strategic objectives is to focus on art by, and relevant to, Indigenous peoples, and this generous promised donation amply supports that objective,” says Anthony Kiendl, the MacKenzie Art Gallery’s Executive Director and CEO. “I’m impressed by Thomas Druyan and Alice Ladner’s keen eye for the idiosyncratic and overlooked, as well as their integrity in collecting artists reflecting their personal interests and tastes. This includes works that go beyond what might merely be a convention or a safe investment. It’s a real reflection of their intellectual curiosity and passion for these artists and artworks.”

Druyan and Ladner’s enthusiasm for supporting artists of Indigenous descent often led them to include artists they felt were deserving of greater recognition. The promised donation to the MacKenzie places the Gallery well in terms of its burgeoning reputation as a national leader in the presentation of Indigenous art.

As Carmen Robertson, Professor of Contemporary Indigenous Art History at the University of Regina states: “This significant and generous gift of Indigenous art to the MacKenzie Art Gallery is especially exciting to me as an Indigenous art historian because it provides amazing opportunities for students and scholars alike to study its rich art and art histories.”

Intersecting with the MacKenzie’s already noteworthy collection of contemporary Indigenous arts, the Kampelmacher Memorial Collection furthers the Gallery’s growing reputation as a leader in supporting and displaying Indigenous art in Canada.

Several stylistic groups and categories are encompassed within the exhibition, including early Inuit printmaking and tapestry, and contemporary Inuit carvings from across the four regions collectively known as Inuit Nunangat are well represented. There are also numerous works by artists from the Manitoulin Island area of Ontario, other Woodland School artists, and members of the Professional Native Indian Artists Inc. Artists from the Southwest United States and many more contemporary artists from across Canada and throughout North America are also prominent.

MacKenzie Curator Michelle LaVallee was amazed by this scope of work when she first visited Yellowknife to view the collection.

“It was exciting to find important early works from a number of leading artists such as Robert Houle, Carl Beam, Alex Janvier, and Helen Kalvak,” LaVallee says. “It’s an incredible range of works by over 139 artists from across North America, many of whom will be new to Saskatchewan audiences.”

Some of the artists featured in this exhibition include Allen Angeconeb, Germaine Arnaktauyok, Carl Beam, Joane Cardinal-Shubert, Eddy Cobiness, Blake Debassige, Alex Janvier, Robert Houle, Helen Kalvak, Daphne Odjig, Rick Rivet, Pitalousie Saila, and Roy Thomas. 

Source: MacKenzie Art Gallery