Faye HeavyShield, Jennine Krauchi, Jerry Saddleback
SEASONS
Exhibition Run: September 26- December 6, 2025
Opening Reception: September 26, 4- 7PM
Ociciwan Contemporary Art Centre 10124 96 St Edmonton, AB
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Seasons are a time of new beginnings, they represent stages of life and offer a way to adapt to and embrace change. Seasons are deeply integrated into Indigenous cultural worldviews, offering a way to connect through land-based practices and understand transitions in a way that is interconnected to family, community, land, and the spirit world. Fall and winter are storytelling seasons, food gathering and hunting is seasonal, and the time to practice art-making such as beadwork can also be seasonally informed.
The exhibition features renowned artists Faye HeavyShield, Jennine Krauchi, and Jerry Saddleback who explore the transitions we experience through life. With many layers of meaning, we see a bow symbolizing the hunting period, family photos reflecting generational shifts, and a Moss Bag representing childhood as a sacred gift from the Creator. Each of these moments evokes a constant state of change and transformation, unfolding gradually over time.
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Exhibition run: September 26 - December 6, 2025
Gallery Hours: 12pm-5pm, Wednesday to Saturday
Opening Reception: September 26, 4:00- 7:00 PM
Artist Talk: September 27, 1:00- 2:00 PM
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and the Edmonton Arts Council.
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ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Faye HeavyShield
Faye is a member of the Kainai of the Blackfoot Confederacy. HeavyShield lives in her home community of Standoff. She is a grandmother of several, two of them cats.
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Jennine Krauchi is a Metis beadwork artist and designer. She creates clothing and does replica work for many organizations, such as the Manitoba Museum, Parks Canada, and The Canadian Museum of History, The Canadian Museum for Human Rights as well as for others in Scotland, France and the USA. Jennine also teaches beadwork and quillwork as well as moccasin/mukluk making. She teaches in many schools and at many festivals in Canada. She has also taught in Europe.
Jennine’s latest accomplishments include – participation in A Hard Birth; an exhibit at the Winnipeg Art Gallery and Radical Stitch; an exhibit at the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina Saskatchewan. Her work; “The Lady”, is presently travelling in an exhibit of the works of many contemporary Indigenous beadworkers. This exhibit; “Radical Stitch”, will travel to several locations in Canada and then USA. Most recently Krauchi has been awarded the Manitoba Arts Council’s – Award of Distinction for 2024 and also the Winnipeg Art Council’s – Making a Difference Award for 2024.
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Jerry Saddleback was the Dean of Cultural Programs for a couple of decades and is Elder-in-Residence of the Maskwacîs Cultural College (MCC). This position was offered to him for his Lifetime by the 4 Chiefs of Maskwacîs, who sit as the Board of Governors for MCC. Elder Saddleback has a distinguished career as the Elder and Spiritual Advisor to many organizations, institutions and communities and individuals: Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Edmonton Arts Council, City of Edmonton, Canadian Research Initiative on Substance Matters, asked to offer the Opening Prayer of the United Nations in New York June 2019; to name a few. He is one of maybe 6 elders left who knows the full Story of Creation: The Long Story.
Jerry Saddleback is also an artist, an artist of many traditional implements and Cultural items. His passion is bows. He is a Master Bow Maker with a shop in Maskwacîs and one in Edmonton. He was taught by 3 main elders: his Father Joe Saddleback and traditional grandfathers, Francis Quin and Frank Cacwitts, the late Chief of Morley Reserve. The Bow asked most for is the Plains Cree Traditional Self-Bow, used extensively, for buffalo hunts, from the 1700s to today. Jerry’s bows are the intergenerational handed-down-replicated versions. Groups from England and as far away as Japan have come to Jerry to ask how to make bows: traditional Long English bow and Japanese hunting bow. Jerry Saddleback harvests the wood himself from traditional territories, with permission. His bows may be seen at Ft. Edmonton and was recently displayed at Art Gallery of Alberta.
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ACCESSIBILITY
Ociciwan Contemporary Art Centre is equipped with a lift to reach upper floors and lower floor gallery. Single stall and wide stall washrooms are available on every floor. Washrooms are gender neutral. Children are welcome! Change tables are available in wide stall washrooms. Main door to the gallery space is equipped with an automatic door opener.
ETS stops at 96 Street and Jasper Avenue 1 minute walking distance (Routes 2, 5, 111, 131), 95 Street and Jasper Avenue 5 minutes walking distance (Routes 1), 100 Street and Jasper Avenue 10 minutes walking distance (Central Station, routes 8, 130X, 150X, 201).
LRT Valley Line is a 1 minute walking distance (Quarters Station)
Street parking: 96 Street, Rate: Free parking, Hours of Operation: 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM Monday to Saturday; 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Sundays
Street parking: 101A Avenue, Rate: $2.00 / HR Monday to Friday; $1.00 / HR Saturday and Sunday, Hours of Operation: 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM Monday to Saturday; 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Sundays
Paid impark lots available down 101A Ave