By Paul Gessell, Canwest News ServiceOctober 23, 2009
http://www.canada.com/Daphne+Odjig+honoured+gallery+years+First+Nation+artist/2136443/story.html
Condensed by Native Village
Back in the 1940s, Daphne
Odjig tried to "pass" as
white to improve her job
prospects. She adopted the
surname Fisher, told people
she was of Spanish origin,
and even flirted with the
idea of becoming a flamenco
dancer.
These
days, at age 90, Odjig
embraces her aboriginal
heritage. She's proud to
call herself "Indian," even
if some consider the term
politically incorrect.
And
now, the National
Gallery of Canada will honour Odjig with the first-ever
solo exhibition by a First
Nations female artist.
"She's a great icon," said
Lee-Ann Martin, curator at the Canadian Museum of
Civilization.
"I think that National
Gallery show is long
overdue. Daphne Odjig has been doing her art
since the 1940s, before
(fellow First Nations
artists) Alex Janvier and
Norval Morrisseau. But let's
not forget the power of her
art and the greatness of her
as an artist. It's not only
that symbolism of her being
the first First Nations
woman. Why is she there?
It's about her art and the
power of that."
Odjig's show was curated by
Bonnie Devine for the National
Gallery and the Art Gallery
of Sudbury. The exhibition
opened in Sudbury two years
ago, and has been travelling
through North America.
Included are about 60
paintings and prints from 50
years of creativity.
Odjig is of mixed heritage.
Her father was a Potawatomi; her
mother was an English war
bride.
Daphne's artwork fuses both
cultures using aboriginal
themes and motifs with
European styles.
Daphne first experience
racism when she moved away
from the reserve. It was
then she adopted the surname
Fisher to better fit into
mainstream culture.
A major turning point for Odjig
-- and return to her
aboriginal roots -- came in 1964, when she
helped organize an
aboriginal art exhibition
on the Wiki
reserve. In 1973, she
helped found Professional
Indian Artists Inc..
That group became known as
the Indian Group of Seven,
and they raised the
profile of modern aboriginal art in Canada and
abroad.
Many honours have been
bestowed upon Odjig in her
lifetime, including the
Order of Canada and the
Governor General's Visual
Arts Award.
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