Education

C M Y K PAGE 11 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT • SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2020 11 EDUCATION GUIDE APPLY NOW Prov.ca/Apply E D U C AT I O N . FA I T H . C O M M U N I T Y. Take the next step as a leader! Asper's Executive Education Advanced Program in Management, Leadership & Strategy fast-tracks your leadership and strategy skills in just 10 days. The next virtual program begins January 18, 2021. Executive umanitoba.ca/asper/exec Register today! CANADIAN MENNONITE UNIVERSITY Accepting applications for January 2021 BY DENISE DUGUAY When Brandon University's Department of Visual and Aboriginal Art accepted its new Anishinaabe spirit name and colours, it marked an intersec- tion of two powerful realities — its Indigenous heritage and the current pandemic. T he name Ishkabatens Waasa Gaa Inaabateg Department of Visual Art was gifted by Barb Blind, Knowledge Keeper at BU's Indig- enous Peoples' Centre, says de- partment chair Kevin deForest. With that, made official in Octo- ber, came their colours: red for fire, brown for tobacco and silver for smoke. "Little Smoke That Goes Far," deForest says, offering the English translation and adding that it cap- tures the essence of the depart- ment, which he joined in 2005. "I'm proud of the fact that we have been offering an Indigenous perspective as an integral part of our learning experience since our inception," he says. "The meta - phor of a little smoke travelling far is timely because it refers to the far-reaching potential of the learning experience in our pro - gram. We now have graduates who have taken on master's and PhD degrees across the country. We hope this degree will prepare students to continue their art- making practice and careers any - where in the world." One example is Eleni Kilbride, a graduating stu- dent who recently received both the prestigious CD Howe Schol- arship from the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and a Manitoba Arts Council student bursary. Pointing out that students take at least two mandatory Indig - enous art-history courses, deFor- est says BU's department is well placed in a world with a growing awareness of Indigenous culture and activism. While educational institutions "have been catching up" in the wake of such events as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and pipeline protests, deForest says, "We're one of the longest- running programs offering both a contemporary and traditional lens on Indigenous art and culture." Leading the way is a five-per - son, full-time faculty consisting of Kevin McKenzie, Lisa Wood, Lin Xu and Cathy Mattes. "Cathy is co- curating a large-scale exhibition opening in 2022 at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. The show looks at the founding of the province through a Métis lens. It's called A Hard Birth and features both contem- porary and historical works." In the newer reality of COV- ID-19, Little Smoke That Goes Far could also describe the univer- sity's turn to remote learning for all but courses like ceramics that require in-person studio time. "We have students living in pret- ty remote parts of the province and Saskatchewan, so this mo- ment has actually allowed them to work from their rural home base," deForest says. He is concerned that first-year students are missing the benefits of being together, however, he's confident they "have experience working with their online iden- tity through social media and are comfortable representing them- selves digitally." They're still working on how to exhibit work. In March, one honours student was ready for her graduate exhibition at BU's Glen P. Sutherland Gallery of Art, a student-run space designed by deForest and colleagues. "A week before the exhibition the campus was shut down," deForest says. "So we're now having a virtual exhibi - tion designed so that the work can be seen online." The pandemic has also become a topic. DeForest has just handed out an assignment asking stu- dents how COVID is changing their world. For an earlier painting assignment, one student asked classmates for phrases describing what they miss most, inscribing some onto a T-shirt displayed on a single hanger. "An interesting way of talking about that experience where she wanted to involve the class," he says. DeForest calls it "a matter of pride in the department to get our students so they are part of the clan of making art." For more information, visit bran- donu.ca/visual-aboriginal-art. BRANDON UNIVERSITY Indigenous perspective integral BRANDON UNIVERSITY PHOTO Brandon Univeristy students take part in a ceramics class. BRANDON UNIVERSITY PHOTO Brandon University's Glen P. Sutherland Gallery of Art is a student-run space designed by department chair Kevin deForest and colleagues. "We're one of the longest-running programs offering both a contemporary and traditional lens on Indigenous art and culture." - Kevin deForest, department chair, Ishkabatens Waasa Gaa Inaabateg Department of Visual Art at Brandon University

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