Three Saskatchewan Book Awards for 7: Professional Native Indian Artists Inc.

Regina, SK – The MacKenzie Art Gallery is pleased to announce that 7: Professional Native Indian Artists Inc. received three awards for publishing at the Saskatchewan Book Awards on April 25, including the University of Regina Faculty of Education and Campion College Award for Publishing in Education, the First Nations University of Canada Aboriginal Peoples’ Publishing Award, and the Ministry of Park, Culture and Sport Publishing Award.

7: Professional Native Indian Artists Inc. is a companion to the exhibition, curated by Associate Curator Michelle LaVallee, which ran at the MacKenzie Art Gallery from September 21, 2013 – January 12, 2014. It features 120 colour images, eight essays, and statements from all seven artists; Jackson Beardy, Eddy Cobiness, Alex Janvier, Norval Morrisseau, Daphne Odjig, Carl Ray, and Joseph Sanchez. The exhibition offers audiences the opportunity to engage with work by one of Canada’s most important early artist alliances.

“The MacKenzie has a vital role to play in sparking conversations around identity and cultural exchange,” says Executive Director and CEO Anthony Kiendl. “The Professional Native Indian Artists Inc. were, and are, an unparalleled group of artists. Their story is finally being told to wider audiences. This recognition is long overdue, and hopefully just the beginning of a reinterpretation of their fundamental importance to Canadian art history.”

7: Professional Native Indian Artists Inc. has toured Canada with past shows at the Winnipeg Art Gallery and the Kelowna Art Gallery, and upcoming shows at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection (May 10 – September 7, 2015), the Art Gallery of Windsor (October 2, 2015 – January 17, 2016), and the Art Gallery of Alberta (March 4 – June 5, 2016).

About the MacKenzie Art Gallery

The MacKenzie Art Gallery is Saskatchewan’s oldest and largest public art gallery, offering a wide range of contemporary and historical art programs. The MacKenzie Art Gallery Vault is home to more than 4,500 works in the Permanent Collection by internationally renowned artists such as Picasso, Rodin, and Edvard Much, as well as an impressive Canadian collection with pieces by Greg Curnoe, Joyce Wieland, Dorothy Knowles, the Regina Five, Joe Fafard, Bob Boyer, and many others. The MacKenzie features world-class exhibitions and public programs, research, publications, and more. For more information, please visit mackenzieartgallery.ca.

– Source: MAG Press Release