Judy Chartrand
Q: Your work is very crafted, in what ways does 'craft' exist in the western art world and the Indian art world...I think in some ways that beading basket making and other arts are the arts of our people and are what our communities appreciate, because art is so tied to the life and the land..so where does contemporary art fit in the Native world?
A: "I delve into both traditional and contemporary styles. I find my "traditional" works being less edgy, but in a good way. They seem to carry a sense of pride, strength and beauty - but if I combine traditional processes with contemporary processes, the works change quite dramatically. The "Indian sense of humour" really comes into play."
Judy Chartrand, a Manitoba Cree from a family of thirteen children was raised as a child in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, an area sometimes referred to as "skid row". Although the only "visual art" the family had hanging on the walls of their home at any given time was a calendar, her interest in art began at a very early age. Judy attended the Fine Arts program at Langara College, is a graduate of the Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design and the University of Regina's Master of Fine Arts program
"I left home at the age of fifteen and supported myself working as a chambermaid and a office cleaner. In 1989, while still working as a chambermaid, I began painting store-bought ceramics and within six months was planning to sell my work at a local Native Arts & Craft Fair in Vancouver. I was short of funds and decided to make my own pots. I bought a small amount of clay from the Carnegie Center located at the corner of Main & Hastings and with no instruction, (except for a documentary video based on the life of Pueblo potter, Maria Martinez), began production using implements I gathered from my kitchen. I spent the next couple of years researching Ancient and Contemporary Pueblo-style pottery and reproduced those images onto greenware and handbuilt pots."
As an urban, inner city Cree woman, I am working within a contemporary First Nations art tradition. Much of my work confronts issues of colonization, assimilation and identity politics. Apart from the potent mix of humour and anger that is inherent in my work, I am promoting a sense of dialogue in
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order to provoke the viewers to reconsider polarized images and complacent stereotypes championed by the dominant culture.
My past works focused on issues that directly affected my family and me, such as the devastating effects caused by the Indian residential school system where my mother was interned for twelve years of her youth. I have also made work that pays homage to the many native women who have died as a result of violence and substance abuse in the downtown eastside of Vancouver (three of whom where my older sisters). The processing of memories, thoughts, and experiences has been a painful journey, but working through these experiences has been instrumental in driving me to look outside of my immediate family in order to get a clearer understanding of the cause and not the consequence.
My current work is dealing with First Nations and white relations in Canada. I am focusing on the concept of whiteness, white privilege and white racism in order to make some sense of the social positioning of First Nations peoples. Throughout my work I express personal experiences and thoughts in order to create a level of awareness with regards to being a First Nations person in this country.
There tends to be a real lack of understanding about the realities faced by First Nations individuals on a daily basis. We are often perceived as less than human and are treated as such. These actions are symbolic of the racist attitudes towards First Nations people as well as the total disregard for First Nations people's lives across this country.
I am interested in creating works that decipher these kinds of experiences. I recognize that the lack of understanding and ignorance suffered by mainstream society is due to a condition called "historical amnesia." I also understand that the concept of racism evolved out of themes of patriarchy, class exploitation and white supremacy, which encouraged the creation and use of negative images and attitudes in order to justify the continual domination and oppression of the "other." I believe that the whole process of colonization was one of violence and that the ideology of white supremacy was achieved through brutal force.
An interview with Judy Chartrand via a text based
video that looks at the artists ideas and inspiration.
The video features a slide show of Judy's artwork.