Story:
Local elementary students have taken inspiration from First Nations painter George Littlechild and the theme of "powwow" to create paintings that will be displayed at the Gibsons Public Art Gallery from now until April 22.
"A lot of students have shown the drum, and at powwow the drum is treated like a human being, like a living being," said Lisa Pugh, aboriginal education support teacher for School District 46 (SD46). "So [attendees] will see drums depicted. They will also see a lot of the various dancers in the regalia they wear."
SD46's aboriginal education department is hosting the art show, entitled Powwow Pictures, which will feature paintings by the Coast's grades 4 and 7 students.
"It's not a large space, but we basically cover it wall to wall," Pugh said, explaining that the exhibition will take up half the gallery.
Pugh said these paintings are a "summative activity" for students, allowing them to draw together much of what they've been learning about the aboriginal tradition of powwow and the work of Littlechild.
"We have looked at the meanings behind the dances and the regalia worn," Pugh said. "We have also explored how powwows are set up, the powwow trail and the meaning of the drum at powwow."
In studying Littlechild's style, students read a short biography about the Plains Cree painter and visited his website to look at his unique paintings.
"We broke down his style into 10 major components and then used these aspects of his style, like thick black lines, appliqué and collage photographs to create our own powwow-themed paintings," she said.
This is the second art show the department has hosted. The first featured student paintings inspired by the eastern woodlands style of Norval Morrisseau.
