Under the Sun brings many out to the art gallery

THUNDER BAY – The Thunder Bay Art Gallery opened three exhibitions on Saturday and held their annual summer party, Under the Sun, to celebrate.

Caitlyn Bird, curatorial assistant at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, said this was the first solo exhibition for Ojibway artist Jim Oskineegish.

“This is a 13-part series of his heroes growing up. Oskineegish is a sixties scoop survivor, and these paintings and stories chronicle his life and how he got through the hard times and how he kept himself alive.”

“As Indigenous people, we all have intergenerational trauma. We have grandparents who are part of the sixties scoop. We have grandparents who are part of the residential school system. And to see this is really inspiring,” Bird said.

Saturday was the official opening of the whole gallery to the public.

“Under the Sun is the summer exhibition openings for the gallery. There are three exhibitions that are opening, including this one, Keep Yourself Alive.

“It’s to essentially allow people to come celebrate with the artist, curators, gallery staff and just to have fun.

“The other exhibits are open as well. There is an exhibit for Norval Morisseau which is called LOoooNLOOONLOONN and then how to write a poem,” she said.

Bird said these exhibitions will stay up until approximately September.

Oskineegish said he feels honoured to have the Thunder Bay Art Gallery present his work.

“The inspiration was through media, musicians, actors and family members that helped me out as a child going through the sixties scoop.

Oskineegish said he is just one person who went through the sixties scoop.

“I don’t know what other people’s stories are or how it was for them. This is my way of saying this is what helped me,” he said.

Oskineegish said he has been an artist for as long as he can remember, but he has been painting in the woodland style since 2005.

“My hope is it will help somebody to (find) whatever their story is,” he said.