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Cover: Norval Morrisseau: Copper Thunderbird From the Dr. Herbert T. SchwarzCollection : Circa 1960, Acrylic on Canvas "One of the best paintings hanging an)'wherein Canada, Morrisseau'sSelf Portrait as Copper Thunderbird" Toronto Star, Marcb 28.2002 / Peter Goddard a.at=-\ \'.

Norval Morrisseau and The Development of the Woodland School of Art 1960- 1980 *-.rrsrt t@ru1,

THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF ONTARIO

LE LIEUTENANT GOUVERNEUR DE L'ONTARIO

A Messagefrom the LieutenantGovernor

Norval Morriseauhas drawn upon the spirit of the Anishinabeto createpowerful imagesof mythical beings,woven togetherin art that tells of the sacrednessof all forms of life. This catalogue showshow his extraordinarywork gaverise to the Woodland Schooland awoke fresh interestin First Nations art in the cultural mainstream.As his leadingrole in this renaissancebecame more apparent,Norval Moniseauhimself becamea legend.

JamesK. Bartleman

wWW.LT.GoV.oN.cA QUEEN,s PARK TORONTO ONTARIO CANADA M7A ].A1 PREFACE

THE DEVELOPMENTOF THE \TOODLAND SCHOOL OF ART

Forthe Ojibwaypeople all things contained ltfe. The importantevents and storiesof the pastwere TheThunderbird carried the messagesof manto recalledand toldagain and again.Those who told the sto- Manitou,The GreatLoving Spirit. Mishipeshu, the Water rieswere noted. These men and womenwere recognized Spirit,helped women and representedlife below the as havingthe abilityto investigatethe meaningof the past watersurface. The beaverwas the builderwho disap- eventsand howthese events rmpacted on theirpresent pearedeach winter and returnedwith spring - phoenixof life.These recollections infused everything: man and life,representing the ancientunderstanding that one animal,thunder and lightning,earth and plants.The story coulddie and be re-born. tellingbecame rrtual and tellingstories became ceremony. The bear,close in structureto manand powerful Usingthe smallpictures of theirwritten language beyondman, became a"familiar' to the spiritworld. All life the pictographswere pressed into paper-thin birchbark a soughtbalance in nature.Each required honour and its scrollrecord was madepossible. The Ojibwaywith a spacein the physicaland the spiritualworld. subtleand detailedvocal language and the written The Ojibwaylived from the tip of LakeSuperior pictographson birchbarkrecorded their history which westto the swellof the plainsof Manitobaoccupied by becametheir spiritual mythology. At othertrmes the the Cree,south around the GreatLakes and throughpart recordwas paintedand chippedinto the rocksof the of the areathat is nowthe borderstates of the United precambrianshield. These petroglyphs are still found, States.They hunted north to the treelinethat cuts the protectedand studiedtoday woodlandsfrom the ArcticTundra, south and east The menand womenwho recountedthe histories throughwhat is nowOntario toward the landsnow occu- learnedby the ceremoniesand ritualsbecame the custo- pied by the Six Natrons.In fact,the Anishnabe(ancestral diansof the MidewiwinScrolls. Those individuals with these Ojibway)created a civrlizationthat functioned well in the abilitieswere called, Shaman. Traditionally they alone cre- landarea roughly circling the GreatLakes of North atedthe ritualevents. America. The Ojibwaylived for centuriesin thathabitat and developeda sustainingsocrety that nurtured and supportedtheir people wrthin those natural boundaries. ln 1492the Europeanscame. Everything Theclimate and topographymade the Ojibway changed.The way of lifeof the NativeNorth Americans httnters anr^inathererS. Thetf life waS a diffin'rlt ctrrrnnla was notaltered, it was banished.The civilizationbrought out was aidedby innerstrength and a complex,spiritual by the Europeans.in theirown estimation.superior in mythology.They were aware of the land-worldof Turtle everyway, washed away centuries of culturaldevelopment lsland.Their mythology included the physicaland spiritu- includingthe entirecivilization of theWoodland People, or alityof manand animals.They Iived in a worldwith: the so it was thought. bear,the beaver,the otter,the moose,the wolf,the fish of Assimilationwas recognizedby mostEuropeans thewater and the birdsof the air.They learned the useol as impossible.lt was decidedthat the NativePeople were plantsboth for foodand medicine.They discovered the mostlyunfit to livein the settlementsand towns, mportanceof the skyto life,for navigationand knowl- Yetthey were sought out as politicalallies. The Ojibway edgeof the weather.The Ojibwaconceived they were alignedwith the earlyFrench, and althoughthe Native Jlfferentfrom these other forms of lifein deoree.not in Peoplewere crucial to the gatheringof furs.the commerce / .ld. of the productwas heldby the Europeanagent. The Yetlife was not a benigndream-gift it Natrvereligious practices were considered simplistic; and '=quireda constantvigilance to win and maintainone's in fact,wrong and sinful.The settlers set out to transform : ace in natureand wrthother men, the continentand the NativePeople. Thiskind of thinkingwas in no way uniqueto An additionalrecord has him baptizedas JohnBaptist '.,crth rightfultask under- NormandHenry Morrisseau with another birthdate America.lt was considereda .14, :aSelwyn Dewdney visited the Red Lake deep interestin the indigenousart theyfound on their Districtseveral times. He was an artistand a writerfrom travels.They had an extensivelibrary and the talentto SouthernOntario with an interestin findingand investi- recognizeinteresting work wherever they found it. One gatingthe petroglyphs.He wastravelling by canoe,and day,Esther Wernstein found a paintingon the floorof Norvalsigned on as a paddler.lt was a naturalcollabora- FergusMcDougalls store. Norval Morrisseau had found tion as they searchedthe waterwaysfor the petroglyphs a thirdmentor. of NorthWestern Ontario. NorvalMorrisseau had grownto becomea soft Outof thesetrips came a bookentitled, spoken,brilliant young man. He was steepedin the his- 'Legendsof My People,The Great Ojibway , toldto toryand mythologyof the Anishnabeand strugglingto Dewdneyby Morrisseauas they attemptedto reconstruct breakfree from a Europeanmold. He readeverything the legendsof the Anishnabefrom the rockpaintings. In and his mindwas a trapfor informationHe had a real the book,Morrisseau falls back on the storiesof Moses senseof who he was and exactlywhat he wantedto do. to unravelmany of the illustrationson the rocks. Norval'screativity was strong,frequently bursting Dewdneyand the petroglyphswere another addttion to nff tho nrno I l-la ru rvvr\vvlnnkod far lernar uvsrvcnale nnnnrtrvv|\Jvl rnitioq tn vrr Lrrv Pqve. the contenttaking shape in the artists mind. createmassive images. Such an opportunitypresen- Morrisseauwas assimilatingand generatingthe ted itselfthrough the evolutionof the TripleK Cooperative contentand directionof hisvision. Everything was grist in Red Lake.The Coop was foundedby Norvalsmentor for hisartistic mill. He recalledthe blacklines that held DavidKakegamic and histwo sons,Henry and Joshim, the glasspictures in formin the churchwindows. He in the clubhouseof the old curlingrink in Red Lake recalledthe side-visronof the Mayanfriezes tn the books wherethe pressureof the snowand the absenceof he had read.The brightand harshcolours of Northern maintenancehad resultedin the collapseof the playing Ontariowere as familiarto himas Autumn.He extended areain the rink.Yet the clubhousewas warm and dry the writtenlanguage of the pictographiclanguage into a and ideallysuited for largetables for screenprinting visualpattern as wellas conduitof meaning. work. Norvalwould spreadforty foot long rollsof kraft paperand workalongside the productionof printsbeing producedby the TripleK Cooperattve Includedin Morrisseau'spurpose was to portray In thisway the forcewithin the boneand sinew, his peopleas large,important, commanding and power- muscle,and organs,could all come intoplay and create ful.His purposewas nothingless than resurrecting the manylayers of meaningwithin the samepainting. cultureof the Anishnabe. Morrisseau,as withmost important artists, rs asking us to All of thistime Morrisseau was drawingand see in a differentway. We had to learnthat vision. paintingand discoveringhis materials as he createdhis Thenhe wouldmix up a batchof a different imanaq Ho rcorl ovolyllipgand adapted.The formlrnes colourand do the Samething over again, until all that thatpermitted the imagesto floatfree of the edgesof the was leftto completethe paintingwas the characteristic birchbarksquare helped him to ignorethe horizonand blackline that would enclose the figurativeelements of any reasonto photo-paint.His was a differentpurpose the piece.This process is exactlythe sameas that thanreproducing images. He was now usingpic- employedin screenprinting, and maywell be a reason tographsboth as visualobjects, and reasoning. why Norvalswork has beenso effectivelyadapted to a Finally,the pictographsbecame symbols printmedium. Justas the pictographshad brokenfree from TripleK providedanother outlet for Norval'scre- language,the petroglyphs,cut intothe rockof the land, ativity,through publishing his limitededition graphic ignoredthe shapeof the rock.This gave the artistthe works.Josh was the princrpalartist in the businessand freedomto cut the imagefree from the shapeof the he handcut the screensfor hisovun serigraphs, for mediumand breakthe circularcameo vrsual with NorvalMorrisseau's limited edition prints, published by linesthat led the eyeotf the canvas. TripleK, and thoseof someof the otherartists who Morrisseauwas confrontingthe viewerwith a workedwith the Coop.Henry was the leadprinter for the visuallanguage without the boundariesof Europeanhis- Coopand as an unofficialleader of the consrderable toricaltechniques. He was accomplrshingwhat Gauguin numberof SandyLake people living in Red Lake,played was lookingfor in Tahiti,what Lautrec sought in the an importantleadership role rn the businesswhich also Japaneseprints, and whatPrcasso was attemptingin the employedtheir youngest brother Howard, who worked as flat,two-sided frontal portrait of Les Demoiselles a printerand as an administratorwithin the busrness. d Avignon. Unlikethe majorityof the limitededition print images cre- Morrisseauknew what all huntingand gathering atedof Morrisseau'swork, most of thoseTriple K peopleknew with their immediate contact with the prepa- Cooperative(under contract with Morrtsseau) were rationof game,that the exteriorof the shapeshowed createdfrom line drawings and are not copiesof paint- onlythe corporeal,but the inner,x-ray view of the struc- ings. trrro rarraalorl tho eniril.From Siberia tO NOrway, tO the COlourand the plaCementOf COlOur, the pOwer Arctic,the spiritualcontent of the livingobject was linesfreeing the image,the locationof the sacredred shownby a techniquethat can onlybe called,x-ray dots,the transformationof manand animal,the useof vision.The exteriorshape of the beingwas madeof a the splitcircle whtch is muchthe sameas the Taosym- seriesof ovoidsof colourheld togeiher with the black bol of Yangand Yin,all leadto the preceptof Seeking linesof the stainglasswindows- cloisone, In thisway the balanceand orderin natureas a way of discovering imagewas bothphysical and spiritual,and wentbeyond peace."Theform of the paintingwas the leastof it. languageand the visualto symbol.The world was built of circleslike the backof a turtle.All formswere multiple. Everythinghad life.We areall partof everything. Transformationpermitted the physicalto alterand changeand meltinto this new lexicon. Morrisseauhas written, lf you don'tsee and personalquest, yet eachworked from Morrisseau 's style -nderstandthe useof coloursin my workyou do not out of Moses,the pictographs,the petroglyphs,the -nderstandthe painting."He was constantlyre-inventing historiesfound in the scrolls,and theirown voracious ^ s oalette.challenging the eye of the viewerto see,in imaginations.Each of theseinfluenced a hundredmore. ^rscombinations of colours,discordant to a European No curriculum.Just the arrivalof an ideathat had met its :'ainedeve. the actualcolours of nature. time. Eiythis time Morrisseau had gathereda groupof In the Summerof 1962Norval Morrisseau met < ndredartists who workedwith him and discoverednew Jack Pollock,a painterteacher and galleryowner. directions.Each took away what he or she neededand Pollockwas in NorthernOntario on an arts'qrant to learn "novedon to createtheir own personalvision: Carl Ray, aboutand encourageindigenous art. SamuelAsh, Saul Williams, Roy Thomas; as wellas, Thestory goes that one nrghtat a nightclass in JacksonBeardy, Blake Debassige, Francis Kagige, Beardmore,Pollock looked up and sawa tall,thin man Goyceand JoshimKakegamic. They came and they witha bundleof oaoersunder hrs arm. lt was wert. Theywere a disparategroup. They agreed and NorvalMorrisseau. Pollock has written in "DearM thathe

-hcrrdisanrppd vvv. Thov | | rvy had nOreal need tO meet. OnCe knewat once he had littleto teachthis artist and a lotto theyhad seenthe workof Morrisseau,they were working learnhimself. The Woodland School of Art had arrivedat withthe knowledgeof itstechnique. Each set out on a hisdoor.

Turtlelsland Acrylicon Birchbark Circa1960 - 07" 109" Turtle Acrylic on Canvas 37"128"

"Whenthe historyof the twentiethcentury art in NorthAmerica is written,no chapterwill be moredramat- ic or significantthan that of the Anishnabepainters, the aboriginalpeople of the GreatCanadian Shield. In the 1950'swhen it appearedthat their culture was on the vergeof beingextinguished by the onslaughtof the "white" civilization,there was a move by severalindividuals to preservethe ancientoral traditions by recordingthem in wrltingand in art. In so doing,the artist'sdeveloped a uniquestyle, indigenous, distinctive, graphic, with a rare potentialfor narrativeand an innateprimitive beauty, By the very act of depictinglegends, the artistsdefied cen- turiesof taboos,and manyinteresting sociological events followed: a shiftin the rolesof shaman/artist/ hunter occurredin the Anishnabeculture; the art becamea seminalforce in a revitalizationmovement; and the entire OjibwayNation, a peopleheretofore overlooked by the mainstreamof history,was thrustsuddenly into the spot- lightglare of an art-lovingpublic."

MaryE. (Beth)Southcott "TheSound of the Drum"

10 t[ 3i fi

Beaver Acrylicon Paper Circa1960 - 37"128"

"Oneshould view these works from their earliest datingin the gallery.Then, the questionmust be - why do the coloursrepresent so much progressiveintellectual disturbanceon the painter, To sympathizewith this styleone needsto do seriouscultural research to satisfyoneself about why a certainline was drawnor a colourused. There are enougheffete travellers in the artworld."

WayneDoyle, Editor The Examiner,1990

11 TransformationThunderbi rd Acrylicon Paper circa1960 - 31"140"

"Ojibwaypainter Norval Morrisseau ranks as a livingleg- end. The founderof the dlstinctiveWoodlands School of VisualArt, he is countedas a key influenceby literally hundredsof NorthAmerican artists "

DlerdreHanna, Toronto Sun

12 MedicineShaman Acrylicon Paper circa1960 - 31"140"

'Despitethe destructionof nativecultures North AmerlcanIndians have endured. Out of carnage, courageand a senseof heritagegrew a renaissanceof theirart, That renaissance now seemsto coincidewith a re-awakeningof lndianpride and senseof identity.A coincidence?Truly important art growsfrom its cultural setting,voicing its origins and strengtheningits people.'

WilliamE. Taylor, Jr. PhD. FRGS. RFSC. DUC. The Art of NorvalMorrisseau, Methuen

13 Loons Acrylicon Paper circa 1970- 28" 136"

14 Woman Acrylicon Kraft circa 1960- 29" 139"

"Nudewith the figureof a graphic,lusty naked woman, her body seeminglyon fire."

NorvalMorrisseau: Art StillBowls Over: PeterGoddard: Toronto Star March. 28. 02

'15 SpiritBeings Acrylicon Canvas circa 1970- 25"/32"

16 To My Good SoulBrother Acrylicon Kraft 1975- 32"/40"

17 Unityin Nature Acrylicon Canvas 1975- 22"137"

'18 Leadersof Men Acrylicon Canvas Circa1970 - 37"151" f fl )/'E

t,':NiYE {*lo tr

19 (r6

MedicineBears Acrylicon Canvas Circa 1971 - 27" 132"

SPiritHelPers ( -)L ri\ Lr:Ntrd 'J Acrylicon Canvas Ckca 197,1- 30" 128" 2/tFt ,'1 iA t / F Familyof Loons lt, v'L--- Acrylicon Canvas t Circa 1971- 24" 120"

\NlY\$?O 20 SelfPortrait as ChristFigure Acrylicon Canvas Circa 1971 - 35" 146"

,/l [/ 1; /1--nv\L /t/

21 SacredBear Children Acrylicon Canvas Circa 1971- 32'l4O"

t

lv/ flKu I

I,/ t-/ 1 {-t- 1\-( 4f x\ a- /\l P'

Hunter Acrylicon Canvas Circa1971 - 23"l3O"

22 SunTotem Acrylicon Canvas Circa1971 - 60"172" rflKF

"Thisstory related to me by Norvalas we wereflying into Minneapolis... Norval said,'A longtime ago, maybetwo or threehundred years ago, beforewhite men werearound, some peoplewere worriedabout what was goingto happen...,sothey went to talkto a shaman.They asked him if he couldfind out. The shaman went to a sacredplace and startedsinging and drumming.He beaton hisdrum harder and harderuntil he jumpedright out of hisbody and beganto riseup in his consciousness.He went up to the thirdastral plane where he could fly throughtime. He flew throughtime untilhe reachedthe year 2000and then came down to lookaround. Below hlm he couldsee hundreds,thousands...more then he couldcount...millions of ants travelling downwell travelled trails...and mountains sticking outof the plainslike giant ice crystals,reflect- ing the sun back lntohis face.When he returnedto his own time he told the peopleabout whal he had seen.He told themthat what everthese creatures were, there was lotsof them and they werecomino."'

Morrisseauto BryantCoghlan, Miesner Museum Universltyof Minnesota

23 SacredFish Acrylicon Canvas Circa 1971- 35" 148"

24 Interdependenceof all Life Acrylicon Canvas Circa 1971 - 30" 148"

25 line' Fishand Loon CYcle "Therudiments of pictographicpainting - the expressive form linesthat determine Acrylicon Canvas thesystem of transparency,of interconnecting of spiritualpower - werein placein Circa1973 -29"150" relationshipsin terms Morrisseau'swork bY 1963."

ElizabethMcLuhan, The lmageMakers Art Gallervof Ontario.1984.

t/ NatureFish /1\ / l"> ,/ /l\t/ f Acrylicon Canvas (,, *// Circa1974 - 19"141" t/ Ittlirl n IU I SacredMedicine Bear Acrylicon Canvas 1974 38"/52"

"Fewartists have the gift and abilityto fulfillthe criteriathat establish- es the reputatlonof a reallygreat artist - a creatorof masterworks. Certainartists speak for a tlme in history,some for a place,some for a people,and some perfecta new way of seeing- a universalfor an entireworld, Rare, indeed, is theartist - painterwho doesall of these,Morrisseau is one of these,"

JosephMcLeod

27 Arrangementson Brown Acrylicon Canvas Circa'1975 - 28" 130" Unity *-t ,'),'/ /; Acrylicon Canvas ! ,/ / I /\ / - t--- Circa1974 - 22"/36" 'r .i't/ V\ lin

D5 4'A d Arr

A /' /! AstralPlains t/r-- Acrylicon Canvas {'fl J/\{t Circa1974 - 21"/33" Itt 28 Spirits Acrylicon Canvas Circa1976 - 35"136" tr.bA'Ad A-re

f ilKE

ThunderBirds 'Acrylic on Canvas Circa'1976 - 27" 129"

29 Shamanwith SacredPiPe ll Acrylicon Canvas Circa1975 - 27" 141" (a L/,-' nitl l/\r1 t--/ L| trY | ' r\ rf F n ' hik\t'P"1

ThunderbirdChildren Acrylicon Canvas Circa 1977 - 24" 142"

I/nt/tr I tv lt

30 Shamanwith MedicineBear and Thunderbird fr/* Acrylicon Canvas Circa1976 - 22"142"

Shaman,Bea4 Loon Circle Acrylicon Canvas Circa 1977 - 23" 130"

31 f //KE AncestralSpirit with EvilSerpent (25 Acrylicon Canvas tx )\ \TF Circa 1977 - 37" 158"

32 WarriorThunderbird Acrylicon Canvas "Morrisseauhas beengiven the name,Copper Thunderbird. He Circa 1977 - 48"172" signshis paintingswith this name in CreeSyllabics. The thunderbird is the messengerbetween the spiritworld and us in the sameway the artistreveals the mythologyof his people.This is a repeated themein Morrisseau'swork. He is TheThunderbird."

JosephMcLeod rlt r"i iT*k t/1 33 t Shamanand Spirit Bears Acrylicon Canvas -29"130" Circa1977 ,/- n l/ MotherEarth Feed(s) Her Child.z / / l-: /.NV\ Acrylicon Canvas * n /t U- tu! Circa1977 - 30"136" I I ' r) . {\ t.--t_i__ 1f) | \lJN11 E Y't '('

Shamanwith Pipe Acrylicon Canvas Circa 1977 - 22" 129" f /fl/\tr /t / 34 1 tr I,t rfll=/' / Warriorand Canoe Acrylicon Canvas Circa 1977 - 30"/36"

"chingwaukspoke of a south-shoreshaman-warrior named Myeegun, who was skilledin the Meda(midday) and thusacquired the influenceand prestigeto organizea war party whichcrossed Lake Superior in canoes."

SelwynDewdney and KennethKid, Universityof TorontoPress, Indian Rock Paintings of the GreatLakes.

35 Natureas One Acrylicon Canvas Circa1977 - 31"149" .( lllE I

36 SpiritLife Acrylicon Canvas f 4n r/;- Circa 1977 - 34" /52" r ,/v (\ /--- /at- w'11tTtr P'I3

"lt would indeedbe a greatloss if theselegends and beliefs...arefor- gotten.For so much is lost.Every day an Ojibwayelder dies, and everyday someof the knowledgeof his ancestorsdies with him."

NorvalMorrisseau ChristopherHume, The NewAge of IndianArt, Maclean'sMagazine, January, 1979

37 Family Acrylicon Canvas ff/4 I '"1 Circa1977 - 30"/35" f UnderworldSpirits are Targe! tff l/ ./ lnorganicBeings )r', ll I V Acrylicon Canvas l- / U Circa1978 - 26"135" /

Spiritsand Men Acrylicon Canvas / trt \/ t/ - 28" 139" Circa1978 (z lH t V\L- t'r /v I hf{ lTl= 38 GrandAssembly Acrylicon Canvas Circa1978 - 36"146"

"Morrisseau'scolours, contours, and choiceof imageryhave become permanentlyfixed in the Canadianvisual plain."

PeterGoddard, Toronto Star, March 28, 02

39 Worldof Blue Acrylicon Canvas Circa1978 - 60"169"

"...toall appearancesthe aboriginalartist was gropingtoward the expressionof the magicalaspect of his life,rather than taking pleasurein the worldof form aroundhim."

.t' V, SelwynDewdney and Kenneth Kid V Universityof TorontoPress, ,1 lndianRock Paintinos of theGreat Lakes ,.r,il\t { fF' A u V'/ 2 6 \ ()'\ , E\

40 SpiritualBattle for Life Acrylicon Canvas Circa1978 - 35"/120" fflilr

"He'sproud of his placein the historyof Canadianart and of the influencehe has had on people'slives. 'l may not havea Ferrari,but l'm the firstIndian to breakinto the Canadianart sceneand i have foreverenriched the Canadianwav of life.'"

NorvalMorrisseau

Featured:Globe and Mail, MastheadApril 1999,Arts and Leisure "Sucha LongJourney" Chris Dafoe

41 HeavenlyTwins Acrylicon Canvas Circa1978 - 53"154"

TheArt of theWoodland Indian, Algoma Festival

"TheMcMichael Canadian Collection established the firstpermanent exhibitionof TheArt of theWoodland Indian in 1976"

42 Arrangementon Blue Acrylicon Canvas Circa1979 - 64"146"

"NorvalMorrisseau speaks for the Olibway,The WoodlandIndian of Canada.He paintstheir mythological past and theirfierce future potential.He paintshis people larger than life, spiritually huge. He createda methodof depictionthat had not previouslyexisted - from the ancientpetroglyphs, from pictographlanguage symbols, from stained- glasswindows of rememberedmissionary churches, from the flatand brilliantcolours of the brutalNorth of Canada,and from his own fertileimaglnation. He speaksin the universalvoice of a masterpainter for all who will look,investigate and understand. Morrisseaupaints masterpieces."

JosephMcLeod

43 Hunterswith Mooseand Bear rTE ()3 Acrylicon Canvas tuN Circa 1979 - 34" 151" l,/ l,/' rdr

Fatherand Child Acrylicon Canvas

44 Spiritsof the Earth Acrylicon Canvas Circa 1979 - 34" 157" /trnrF aHtTF P'l

"l madecircles because they represent something with no beginnlngand no ending,and I dividedthem in half becausethere are two sidesto everything,good and bad, shortand tall,love and hate,man and woman."

NorvalMorrisseau ChristopherHume, The NewAge of IndianArt, Maclean'sMagazine, January, 1979

45 I

Shamanand AnimalsSpeak Acrylicon Canvas Circa1978 - 35"155" f fr(z

46 (fl

Protectionand Fruitsof a Home Acrylicon Canvas Circa1979 - 23" 130"

GreatMigration Acrylicon Canvas Circa1979 - 29" 143"

47 bJHtfl= P, 2+

Bearand Thunderbird tr Spirits Acrylicon Canvas Circa1979 - 37'/59" f/fL(

"Morrisseaubroke ground. He managed to get IndianArt separated from historyand anthropology. He was the trendsetter of thesixties, who paved theway."

TomHill, Senecan, Woodland Cultural Centre Six NationsReserve

48 Spiritsof the Forest Acrylicon Canvas Circa1980 - 23" 130"

./ .n rt/ ,- { d/tv rr tt//.r /v/\

Shamanand Thunderbirds Acrylicon Canvas Circa'1979 - 30"/36"

49 SpiritWorld ll /'/) //F Acrylicon Canvas /--nhL- Circa1979 - 50" 159" I '', L.,'t't tTE P' 2)

"Thereis no word in any Indianlanguage that means "Art";native painting has alwayshad othersignifi- cance,either religious or decorative.Morrisseau's revolutionchanged all that.He made Indianart possi- ble, not by ignoringthe Shamans,but by becoming one himself.A gift fromThunderbird - his own,even greatermagic."

ChristopherHume, The New Age of IndlanArt, Maclean'sMagazine, Januhry, 1979

50 SoiritWorld Acrylicon Canvas Circa1979 - 54" 154" f ,{Ks- do l, Il JTt= "Manyof Morrisseau'sworks have qualities of stained glass.Black, wavy linesof powerprovide the outlines whichare filled with vivid colour...Morrisseau has movedto moreand moreflowinq and self-confidant works."

Jon Anderson,Time Magazine, August25,1975

51 SunShaman: Emerging Spirit Acrylicon Canvas Circa1980 - 47"/59'

i{ il idLll7"E 'i

52 PrintTitles Setof SixSerigraphs

. We are GodsWithin Ourselves. Numbered,signed, and titled. . Childrenof Lightand Sound. Fromthe FrenchPublication: . Sermonto the Birds. Morrisseau:Pollock, Sinclair, . BirdSoeaks to theseChildren. MethuenPublishers, 1979. . Fishand Loonsof LakeNipigon. 30"136"Bonded Paoer Stock . WoodlandCreatures.

53 NorvalMorrisseau C.V.

Born: 1932,Sand Point Reserve, near Beardmore,Ontario

Education: Self-taught

SelectedSolo Exhibitions: 2002 MaslakMcleod Gallery,Toronto, Ontario 2001 Museumof RedLake, Red Lake, Ontario 2000 MaslakMcleod Gallery,Santa Fe, New Mexico 2000 The Drawing Centre,New York, New York 1999 KinsmanRobinson Gallery, Toronto, Ontario 1997 MaslakMcLeod Gallery, Toronto, Ontario 1995 WinchesterGallery, Victoria, British Columbia 1994 MaslakMcleod Gallery,Santa Fe, New Mexico 1992 JenkinsShowler Galleries, White Rock,British Columbia 1991 CanadianMuseum of Civilization,Hull, Quebec 1990 MaslakMcleod Gallery,Toronto, Ontario 1989 The Art Emporium,Vancouve; British Columbia 1988 SinclairCentre, Vancouver, British Columbia 1987 Gulf CanadaGallery, Calgary, Alberta 1984 Ontario North Now, Ontario Place,Toronto, Ontario 1984 LibraryAA Gallery,Brampton, Ontario 1983 NativeAmerican Centre for the LivingArts, NiagaraFalls, New York 1983 ThunderBay National Exhibition Centre and Centrefor IndianArt, ThunderBayOntario 1982 RobertsonGallery, Ottawa, Ontario 1982 MastersGallery, Ottawa, Ontario 1981 ThunderBay National Exhibition Centre and Centrefor IndianArt, ThunderBay,Ontario 1979 The Gallery,Stratford, Ontario 1979 PollockGallery, Toronto, Ontario 1978 FirstCanadian Place, Toronto, Ontario 1977 PollockGallery, Toronto, Ontario 1977 GraphicGallery, Toronto, Ontario 1976 PollockGallery, Toronto, Ontario 1976 Gallery1 15, Winnipeg, Manitoba 1976 PollockGallery, Toronto, Ontario 1975 ShayneGallery, Montreal, Quebec 1974 PollockGallery, Toronto, Ontario 1974 Bau-XiGallery, Toronto, Ontario 1972 PollockGallery, Toronto, Ontario 1967 Museedu Quebec,Quebec City, Quebec 1966 St. Paulde Vence,France 1965 Hart HouseGallery, University of Toronto,Toronto,Ontario 1963 PollockGallery, Toronto, Ontario 1962 PollockGallery, Toronto, Ontario

SelectedGroup Exhibitions

2002 VolkundeMuseum, Munich, Germany 2001 F.R. Weiser Museum, Minneapolis, Minnesota 2000 Museumof Anthropology,VancouveI British Columbia 1998 MaslakMcleod Gallery,Toronto, Ontario 1997 MendelArt Gallery,Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 1997 Exposicaode Art Indigena,Belo Horizonte, Brazil 1996 SenecaCollege, Toronto, Ontario '1995 Departmentof lndianAffairs and NorthernDevelopment, Ottawa, Ontario 1994 ThunderBay Art Gallery,Thunder Bay, Ontario '1993 ThunderBay Art Gallery,ART OF THE ANISHNABE, Thunder Bay, Ontario

54 NorvalMorrisseau Selected Group Exhibitionscont'd.

1992 WallackGalleries, Ottawa, Ontario 1992 K-BrosGallery, North Bay,Ontario 1990 MaslakMcleod Gallery,Santa Fe, New Mexico 1989 GeorgePompidou Centre, Paris, France 1988 SinclairCentre, VancouveL British Columbia 1987 SouthwestMuseum, Los Angeles, California 1987 O. M. Show,Santa Barbara, California 1987 A CELEBRATIONOF CONTEMPORARYNATIVE ART, Southwest Museum, Los Angeles, California 1986 ManulifeCentre, Edmonton, Alberta 1986 THEBIRCH BARK SINGS, Ontario North NoW Ontario Place,Toronto, Ontario 1984 NORVALMORRISSEAU AND THEEMERGENCE OF THE IMAGE MAKERS, Art Galleryof Ontario,Toronto, Ontario 1983 CONTEMPORARYINDIAN ART AT RIDEAUHALL, Ottawa, Ontario 1982 RENEWAL:MASTERWORKS OF CONTEMPORARYINDIAN ART FROM THE NATIONALMUSEUM OF MAN, ThunderBay National Exhibition Centre and Centrefor IndianArt, ThunderBay, Ontario 1979 TimminsMuseum, Timmins, Ontario 1979 KINDERDES NANABUSH, McMichael Canadian Collection, for Hamburg,West Germany 1978 Glenbow-AlbertaInstitute, Calgary, Alberta 1978 IMAGESOF MAN lN CANADIANPAINTING 1878-1978, Mclntosh Gallery, Universityof WesternOntario, London, Ontario 1978 ARTOF THE WOODLAND lNDlAN, McMichael Canadian Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario 1978 MORRISSEAU/THOMAS/ODJlG,Pollock Gallery, Toronto, Ontario 1977 LINKSTO A TRADITION,Department of IndianAffairs and NorthernDevelopment, for travelto centersin Brazil 1977 ARTTO GO,Art Galleryof Ontario,Toronto, Ontario 1977 CONTEMPORARYINDIAN ART-THE TRAIL FROM THE PAST TO THEFUTURE, MackenzieGallery and NativeStudies Programme, Trent University,Peterborough, Ontario

il il 55 il JOSEPHBERTRAM MCLEOD TORONTO,ONTARIO, CANADA

EDUCATION RECENTCURATORIAL: McMasterUniversity (1957) Bachelor of Arts:History and English CanadianArt Exhibition,Brazil, on behalfof the Canadian Universityof Toronto (1964)Master of Education,Type A (Equiv) Government,CANADA NAS GERIAS ( Canadapromotes Mega Eventto StrengthenTies with Brazil) PROFESSIONALEXPERI ENCE High SchoolTeacher / Administrator- NorthernCanada CanadianExhibition of Art, CENTROINTERNATIONALE Lecturer,Writer / subjectdeveloper, Colombo Plan, Government DELMOLISANI NEL MONDO, Boiano (CP) ltaly of Canada,Rejang Teachers College, Sarawak, Malaysia (An exhibit of art from acrossCanada organized as a travellingexhibit throughout ltaly.) ArtisticDirector, Peterborough Summer Theatre, Trent University, Peterborough,Ontario, Canada GalleryGeronimo - Munich,Germany

Deanof English,Seneca College Departmentof Justice,Canada, Ottawa - curatorial Artistic Director,Minkler Theatel SenecaCollege, Toronto. examinationof early NorvalMorrisseau Art : Heritage Foundation Curator/ Director- MaslakMcLeod Galleries, Toronto - SantaFe, USA KEEPINGOUR STORIES ALIVE, designate gallery - IndianArt Institute,Santa Fe, USA

RoyalOntario Museum, Toronto, Canada - curatorial i. WenjackTheatre, Trent University,developed and directed appraisalof Museumgift of over a hundred objects. a Canadiancontent, professional theatre: produced, David French,Morley Calahan, Gratien Gelinas, Carol Bolt, Representative:Sothebys.com (Canada - UnitedStates) RobertsonDavies. ii. CanadaCouncil Grant, Theatre, Germany, to developand GovernorGeneral of Canada,Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Canada: producepedagogical material for the arts in Canada. FloydKuptana iii. SenecaCollege, Dean of English- organizedand directed the Englisheducational program delivered at the College. SamShepard, Stillwater, Minn., USA Later,as Artistic Directorof the Minkler,managed and produced professionaltheatre as well asa multi-culturalarts out- The Sculpturesof BakerLake, Nunavut - reachprogram throughout the community.Norval Morrisseau GOVERNOR'SGALLERY, Santa Fe, New Mexico,USA in residence.Young Canadian Artists exhibited in the College galleries. NativeCentre, Brantford, Ontario . SasoonMayer Collection iv. MaslakMcLeod Galleries: Toronto - SantaFe, directed toward the exhibitionand saleof CanadianNative Art aswell as German- AmericanWoman's Club, Vatterstetten, Germany, Internationalartists: Kiawak Ashoona, Joseph Jacobs, Mafu Jiang EvelynRader: Exhibition Volkerkundmuseum, Munich, StepenGordiey NorvalMorrisseau, Blake Debassige, Germany FloydKuptana. BRITISHENERGY, Peel Park, East Killbridge, Scotland, MEMBERSHIPS Dr.Jeffrey Ontario TeachersFederation Leagueof CanadianPoets PORTABLEMASTERWORKS, catalogue exhibition of early, A.C.T.R.A.( non-active ) smallInuit Sculptures:Maslak Mcleod Galleries,Toronto WritersUnion ( retired) ProfessionalArt DealersAssociation of Canada( P.A.D.A.C.) HollyHunter, Beverly Hills, California, USA Associate:Sothebys.com ( Canada- United States)

PUBLICATIONS Trace,Alive Press,Borealis, Press Porcepic, NC Press,Acanthus, Muse,Hartford Currant, Four Quarters, Canadian Forum, Fiddlehead,Cardinal,Quarry, Weltbune-Germany, Poet and Critic, Laurel,Quartet, Wormwood, Bitteroot,Edge, Poesie Vivante-ltaly, North, Harrowsmith,lAQ, PoetryAustralia, Poetry New Zealand, lnscape,Dalhousie Review Malahat,Weave, Cottonwood Review, Era,Folio, The Archer,Intrepid, Manna, Antigonish Review, Rollerskates,I am an Indian,Other Voices.

56 J( I c

E Paintingsfrom the collectionsof: N U Dr. Herbert T. Schwarz Dr.and Mrs.Langer P Mr. ElliotDurang H Mr. JamesWhite L Mr. Alvin Swanson o Mr. Hugh Carlson A MaslakMcleod Gallery P

D A Thanksto: JamesK. Bartleman,The LieutenantGovernor of Ontario c KathleenOlmstead S AliciaHay EvelynRadlen President German-American Womens Club, Anthony Martinenko i. PatrickGilmour a F R ii p ii tl L p fl Coverphoto: BGM ir DigitalPhotography: Mattew Stylianou,Christian McLeod s Art Directorand Design:Christian Mcleod ir tl Printedin Canada lr : F

t\ All inquiriesplease contact: c MaslakMcleod Gallery 25 PrinceArthur Ave. V TorontoOntario. P M5R 182 A Canada P T 118Scollard St. t\ Toronto, Ontario F M5R 1G2 I L Canada N Ir E R Tel: 416-944-2577 Email: [email protected] Web: www.maslakmcleod.com

58 .: t l'l l 'r':1,: :r

NorvalMorrisseau The Development of the Woodland School of Art

MaslakMcleod Gallery 25 PrinceArthur Ave. TorontoOntario. M5R182 Canada

Tel./Fax 1-416-944-2577 InformationLine: 1-800-387-6051

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