Michel Boutin and Terry-Lynn McDonald. Photo by Chelsea Laskowski.
The Indigenous Peoples Artist Collective is celebrating 10 years of using art to bridge the racial gaps in Prince Albert.
IPAC has a history of displaying thought-provoking pieces, and this year is no different.
A number of wall hangings with striking words, including “his only mistake was leaving three witnesses” greet people when they walk into a white-walled room in Prince Albert’s Mann Art Gallery for Wednesday’s event.
It’s one of many references to recent incidents where people’s words have opened up racial tensions in Saskatchewan. This one refers to a social media comment made after the murder of Red Pheasant man Colten Boushie.
IPAC events like the Two Story Cafe have gotten people talking about culture, race, gender and the LGBTQ community for a decade now.
“Our very first exhibition in 2006 was called ‘This is Indian Town. We called it that specifically to confront the divide, the racial divide in the city,” said IPAC artistic director Michel Boutin.
“My hope is that they take away that understanding that we too have a history that’s not necessarily in the textbooks. We too have a way of looking at society that’s not necessarily in the newspapers.”
One of the biggest accomplishments for IPAC over the years is its ability to draw talent from across Canada and internationally. A decade ago, Prince Albert was not well known in the art world but now big name artists want to come here to develop new ideas and do new work, Boutin said.
The diverse audiences of Prince Albert are a change from the “predominantly white” shows artists are used to, which allows artists to let their guard down, he said.
Terry-Lynn McDonald, administrative director with IPAC, said they stray far away from the typical “stuffy” idea of art.
“Our mandate is to introduce contemporary Indigenous art so it’s all unexpected, especially within this space. So, things that blow people’s minds and shock them,” she said.
Past shows for IPAC featured Indian Leg Wrestling, and having roller skaters parade through their exhibit.
This year, they have some interesting ideas up their sleeve. Boutin said Thursday night is “Ghost Day” at the Prince Albert Arts Centre, a building which is well known for being haunted. The performance will be hosted by Terrence Houle.
“So we’ll be doing some kind of oddball séance-y kind of stuff in there (Thursday) night to see what can happen,” he said.
There are four days’ worth of events going on for the Two Story Cafe . It kicks off Wednesday night with a performance from Robin Brass and presentation from Thirza Cuthand at the Mann Art Gallery.
The Two Story Cafe will alternate locations between two arts centres over the next four nights with movie viewings, performances and paintings.
IPAC has an office in the city but uses local spaces to host events.
For more event information, check IPAC’s Facebook page.