Dunlop Art GalleryObjects
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Item Name: Painting
Title: Story of a Prairie Rose
Maker: Sherry Farrell Racette
Year: 1993
Country: Canadian
Materials: gouache on paper
Measurements: overall: 76 cm x 94 cm
ID Number: PC96.1
Legal Status: PERMANENT COLLECTION
Extended Label Info: There are several “prairie roses” in this painting: the young Métis woman, the embroidered and beaded flowers of her dress, and the wild rose bushes growing around the lake behind her. The artist, Sherry Farrell Racette is the author and illustrator of several books including a cultural history of the Métis for school age readers entitled, The Flower Beadwork People. Métis culture draws on traditions and materials from both the Indigenous peoples and the European traders and settlers in North America. Métis beadwork and embroidery is characterized by symmetrical patterns based on flowers and plants. The rose is an important plant for prairie peoples, historically a source of food and medicine; and for the Métis, whose culture has flourished despite great hardship, the hardy rose is also a symbol of survival. This series of paintings was created by Sherry Farrell Racette for the book “Stories of the Road Allowance People” to accompany oral tales from Métis elders, translated from Nêhiyawak/Cree-Michif to English by author Maria Campbell. The road allowance refers to Crown land which had been reserved for public use and was therefore un-occupied by settlers. After the battle of Batoche, many Métis people lost their land to Canadian authorities and were reduced to occupying the “road allowances”, areas of land designated for roads by Crown surveyors. Campbell’s poignant retelling of Métis traditional stories handed down from lii vyeu—the Old People, has become a treasured resource about the traditional Michif worldview. Dr. Sherry Farrell Racette (1952- ) was born in Pine Falls, Manitoba of Métis heritage, and is a member of the Timiskaming First Nation (Quebec). She has earned a BFA (1974) and a certificate in Education (1975) from the University of Manitoba; a MEd (1988) from the University of Regina, and a PhD from the University of Manitoba in the Interdisciplinary Program in Anthropology, History and Native Studies (2004). Her beadwork, painting, and multi-media textile works reflect her research in First Nations and Métis history, traditional arts, gender studies, and issues of self-representation. Her work has been exhibited nationally and is held in numerous public collections including the Canada Council Art Bank, Saskatchewan Arts Board, and MacKenzie Art Gallery. Maria Campbell (1940- ) is an Elder, educator, author, playwright, broadcaster, and filmmaker of Métis heritage. She was born on a trap-line in rural Saskatchewan and grew up in a road-allowance community. Fluent in four languages: Nêhiyawak (Cree), Michif, Anihšināpēk (Saulteaux) and English, she is currently the Elder in Residence at the Centre for World Indigenous Knowledge and Research at Athabasca University. Campbell’s ground-breaking autobiography, “Halfbreed” is one of the most widely taught texts in Canadian literature. She earned an M.A. in Native studies from the University of Saskatchewan, and taught creative writing, Native studies, and drama for many years. A member of the Saskatchewan Theatre Hall of Fame, Campbell’s awards include the National Aboriginal Achievement Award, the Gabriel Dumont Order of Merit, and the Order of Canada (2008).
Title: Story of a Prairie Rose
Maker: Sherry Farrell Racette
Year: 1993
Country: Canadian
Materials: gouache on paper
Measurements: overall: 76 cm x 94 cm
ID Number: PC96.1
Legal Status: PERMANENT COLLECTION
Extended Label Info: There are several “prairie roses” in this painting: the young Métis woman, the embroidered and beaded flowers of her dress, and the wild rose bushes growing around the lake behind her. The artist, Sherry Farrell Racette is the author and illustrator of several books including a cultural history of the Métis for school age readers entitled, The Flower Beadwork People. Métis culture draws on traditions and materials from both the Indigenous peoples and the European traders and settlers in North America. Métis beadwork and embroidery is characterized by symmetrical patterns based on flowers and plants. The rose is an important plant for prairie peoples, historically a source of food and medicine; and for the Métis, whose culture has flourished despite great hardship, the hardy rose is also a symbol of survival. This series of paintings was created by Sherry Farrell Racette for the book “Stories of the Road Allowance People” to accompany oral tales from Métis elders, translated from Nêhiyawak/Cree-Michif to English by author Maria Campbell. The road allowance refers to Crown land which had been reserved for public use and was therefore un-occupied by settlers. After the battle of Batoche, many Métis people lost their land to Canadian authorities and were reduced to occupying the “road allowances”, areas of land designated for roads by Crown surveyors. Campbell’s poignant retelling of Métis traditional stories handed down from lii vyeu—the Old People, has become a treasured resource about the traditional Michif worldview. Dr. Sherry Farrell Racette (1952- ) was born in Pine Falls, Manitoba of Métis heritage, and is a member of the Timiskaming First Nation (Quebec). She has earned a BFA (1974) and a certificate in Education (1975) from the University of Manitoba; a MEd (1988) from the University of Regina, and a PhD from the University of Manitoba in the Interdisciplinary Program in Anthropology, History and Native Studies (2004). Her beadwork, painting, and multi-media textile works reflect her research in First Nations and Métis history, traditional arts, gender studies, and issues of self-representation. Her work has been exhibited nationally and is held in numerous public collections including the Canada Council Art Bank, Saskatchewan Arts Board, and MacKenzie Art Gallery. Maria Campbell (1940- ) is an Elder, educator, author, playwright, broadcaster, and filmmaker of Métis heritage. She was born on a trap-line in rural Saskatchewan and grew up in a road-allowance community. Fluent in four languages: Nêhiyawak (Cree), Michif, Anihšināpēk (Saulteaux) and English, she is currently the Elder in Residence at the Centre for World Indigenous Knowledge and Research at Athabasca University. Campbell’s ground-breaking autobiography, “Halfbreed” is one of the most widely taught texts in Canadian literature. She earned an M.A. in Native studies from the University of Saskatchewan, and taught creative writing, Native studies, and drama for many years. A member of the Saskatchewan Theatre Hall of Fame, Campbell’s awards include the National Aboriginal Achievement Award, the Gabriel Dumont Order of Merit, and the Order of Canada (2008).