The Writing on the Wall: The Work of Dr. Joane Cardinal-Schubert, RCA

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Joane Cardinal-Schubert, "Rider" (detail), 1986

oil and graphite on canvas, 60” x 84”. (Collection of the estate of Joane Cardinal-Schubert. Photo by Dave Brown, LCR Photo Services University of Calgary)

Playful, yet astute observation informs the art of the late Joane Cardinal-Schubert on display at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery this summer. An artist, activist, curator, poet, writer and mentor from Western Canada, Cardinal-Schubert addresses and reassesses the history that Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples share.

Although many works in the exhibition were created 20 or 30 years ago, “the issues that she brings up continually circle back on all of us,” says Lindsey Sharman, exhibition curator. “It is important to have space and opportunity to review the histories that have brought us to where we are today and can help guide us through to the future.”

Forty pivotal pieces in painting, drawing, printmaking, collage, and installation were gathered from collections across Canada, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and private collections. Three works from the permanent collection of Thunder Bay Art Gallery are included in the exhibition: Warshirt for Clayoquot Sound, 1994, Ancient Voices beneath the Ground, Stonehenge, 1983, and The Sun Rose But for Some It Was the End, 1982. Exhibiting the work of a contemporary artist of Cardinal-Schubert’s stature continues the Art Gallery’s commitment to sharing exceptional Indigenous expression

Curated by Lindsey V. Sharman

Organized and circulated by Nickle Galleries with financial assistance from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and the Canada Council for the Arts