Portage College Native Arts & Culture Program: Legacy of Graduates

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Promise Beauregard, “What Made the Red Man Red?,” no date

moose hide, melton, beaver fur, charlotte cuts sz 0/11, charlotte cuts sz 0/13, charlotte cuts sz 0/15, sz 0/15 seed beads, sz 0/13 24kt Charlotte cuts (courtesy of the gallery)

The Aboriginal Art Certificate Program at Portage College in Lac La Biche is a hidden gem and a welcoming community for students across Turtle Island who want to learn about traditional Indigenous art forms and techniques. The Portage College Native Arts & Culture Program: Legacy of Graduates exhibition celebrates recent graduates from this program hosted by the Alberta Craft Council. There are eight artists in the inaugural exhibition, Promise Beauregard, Lana Gal, Jamie John-Kehewin, Coral Madge, Celina Merasty, Tanya Mustus, Tessirae Sasakamoose, and Amber Weasel Head, showing works that broach contemporary issues in traditional materials and art forms, such as tufting, quill work, birch bark baskets, ribbon and hide garments and sculptural works in metal, stone and clay.

This exhibition is curated by recent Portage graduate Coral Madge who is currently the Steward of Indigenous Collections at the Royal Alberta Museum. Coral was selected for Alberta Craft's Emerging Curators in Contemporary Craft program. This program gives an artist the opportunity to advance their curatorial skills by developing an engaging Craft exhibition with mentorship from professional curators and exhibition organizers.