Reverence

A collaborative arts inquire project between Arts Unionville, Arts Huron and the Aurora Cultural Centre. Through the mentorship of four (FNMI) First Nation, Métis and Inuit visual artists, students applied their understanding of Indigenous ways of knowing in the design and creation of four sculptures that successfully merged woodcarving with fused glass elements. The artworks were displayed at the Aurora Cultural Centre from Monday, May 1st to Sunday, May 7th. In September 2017 the sculptures will reside in the Great Hall of the Civic Centre before being moved to Markham’s Aaniin Community Centre.

Reverence

Creation. Everything starts with something. The indigenous story of the Sky women tells how this world came to be. After experiencing a condensed version of the story from an indigenous storyteller, inspiration sparked. The Arts Unionville Grade 12 class of 2017 presents Reverence, an Indigenous-art-inspired art showcase.

Reverence is comprised of four 4’ wooden sculpture centered around one 8’ wooden carving, all five art works are embellished with glass accents that complement the respective element. The four, shorter sculptures are representative of the four elements – air, fire, earth and water. The taller, center sculpture represent a emergence of these elements – a representation of life, in which the balance of all four elements is necessary. Together, the sculptures are displayed in a circular formation.

Over the course of a month, the Grade 12 class embedded their interpretations of the individual elements on the poles within four distinct groups, representative of the elements. Brainstorming and conceptualization of the visuals was assisted with the valuable input from four Indigenous artists: Deron Douglas, Ken Syrette, Lauri Hoeg, and Nathalie Bertin. The designs were then transferred and roughly cut out using a chainsaw. Details were later fine-tuned into the wood by students themselves through the use of various rotary tools and sanders. With the aid of professional glass artist Melanie Kidd, representatives from each group fabricated the glass additions at Glasstronomy Studios.