Indigenous arts

The Art of Hide Tanning - Tradition Inspiring the Present and Future is a series of commissions to link the past, present and future of Indigenous art.

This project features new works by Amy Malbeuf and Ruby Sweetman created through the traditional thirteen-step Woodland Cree hide tanning process taught at Portage College in Lac la Biche, Alberta. The completed works will be exhibited at the Museum of Aboriginal Peoples' Art and Artifacts at Portage College. Learn more about the hide tanning process on Portage College's website.

Ruby Sweetman is of mixed Cree ancestry and has been a professional artist and an instructor in the Native Arts and Culture Program for over 20 years.

Amy Malbeuf is an award winning Métis multidisciplinary visual artist from Rich Lake, Alberta who works in a variety of mediums such as caribou hair tufting, beadwork, installation, performance, and video.

• Scroll through the slideshow above to see images of the artists and their works.

If you cannot make it up to Lac la Biche to see the exhibition in person, fear not; you can see a preview of the artworks and the hide tanning process in the video below. 

Portage College also made a video about this Commemorative Art Project. Watch it on their YouTube channel.

These works travelled to Edmonton and were exhibited at the Alberta Craft Discovery Gallery, from April 14 until May 26, 2018.

Check out other AFA Commemorative Art Projects.

Iinisikimm is an immersive puppet-lantern performance that celebrates the reintegration of buffalo into the natural ecosystem of Banff National Park. Learn more about Iinisikimm here.

This past August, audiences in Banff and Calgary experienced outdoor performances featuring hand-made lantern puppets, drumming from Eya-Hey Nakoda, and performances by the Czapno Theatre Ensemble. The puppets shared the story of the buffalo, told by Blackfoot trickster God Napi.

The Iinisikimm group will also be producing a comic book, estimated to be released later in 2018.

If you missed the performances, fear not; you can experience a taste of Iinisikimm through the video below. 

Iinisikimm was created with support from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts Commemorative Art Projects funding. Stay tuned to our news feed for more videos from the other Commemorative Art Projects.