Aboriginal art gala goes Saturday
Aboriginal art will be painted on the Prince George calendar Saturday.
The third annual Ying’hentzit First Nations Art & Music Gala will draw on our city’s ancient cultural traditions and draw in funds to move modern indigenous pathways forward. Some of the region’s most celebrated artists will have works up for auction, joined by a few aboriginal art stars from around B.C. All the money raised will go to the William Teegee Art and Music Bursary.
“Carrier Sekani Family Services (CSFS) believes that culture is the core of holistic wellness and that art is the heart of Indigenous culture,” said a statement issued by the Prince George-based aboriginal advocacy and social services organization.
Carli Staub, a coordinator with CSFS, explained that this art gala exists to give momentum to local art practices that doubly serve to give momentum to ever more rejuvenation and revitalization of local aboriginal society.
“All the art is purchased from the artists, so they aren’t asked to donate their art for free,” Staub explained, so even at the organizational level the event served the local arts community. The William Teegee fund then “promotes traditional art and cultural practices. Last year the bursary provided birch bark basket making classes. An elder from the area, Noeleen McQuarry, showed a new generation how to gather the materials from the forest to make the baskets so the trees wouldn’t die and the forest was properly respected. Some cultural practices are in danger of being lost, so these opportunities are important for restoring local knowledge and engaging people in the traditions of our local community.”
The art up for sale are separated into 25 live auction items and 50 silent auction items. Original paintings, prints, carvings, drawings, earrings, moccasins, and an array of other items are available.
“The art style is not all traditional,” said Staub. “We are attempting to support new and emerging aboriginal artists as well as the traditional styles we are used to seeing.”
A special guest artist will be present at the event, the famed Gitxsan First Nation painter, carver and writer Robert Sebastian. His work adorns the event’s poster, and he will be featured in person during the Ying’hentzit proceedings. Another special guest star will be an aboriginal musician and television personality so connected to the B.C. indigenous art scene it is even his name. Saulteau First Nation leader Art Napoleon will be the master of ceremonies and will also perform some of his original music.
The event happens Saturday at the Ramada Ballroom. Viewing of the auction item opens at 5 p.m., dinner is served at 6 p.m., and the live auction commences at 8 p.m. Tickets are $65 or $500 for a table of eight. Tickets are available at or at Enchaînement Dance Centre on Opie Crescent.