Exhibition: John Brady McDonald – Omentum

Exhibit runs February 1 – March 23
Gallery Hours: Thursdays 9 – 3
Come see the show and stay for a visit in the gallery

John Brady McDonald is a Nēhiyawak-Métis writer, artist, historian, musician, playwright, actor, and activist born and raised in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He is from the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation and the Mistawasis Nēhiyawak. The great-great-great grandson of Chief Mistawasis of the Plains Cree, as well as the grandson of famed Métis leader Jim Brady, John’s writings and artwork have been displayed in various publications, private and permanent collections, and galleries around the world, including the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

Omentum is a series of 10 paintings that touch on several of the major experiences faced by Indigenous people in this country within recent memory. These paintings, influenced by the works of both Norval Morrisseau and also Pablo Picasso, speak to some of the major struggles and triumphs that are part of everyday life as Indigenous people, such as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Cultural Appropriation, the legacy of Residential Schools, the Rise and Honour of Two-Spirited people in the LGBTQIP2SA+ spectrum, the Return of Traditional Indigenous Tattooing, and the Rise in Systemic Racism Online.

The vibrant stylized paintings bring these topics to life in a way that imparts their gravity. Each painting has also been honoured with naming by an influential Indigenous or Métis artist, activist, or Leader, such as Isaac Murdoch, Rosanna Deerchild, Debbie Baptiste — the Mother of Colten Boushie, and a cofounder of Idle No More. Each of these individuals, who are at the forefront of the issues for which these paintings were created, graciously donated a name which they personally felt best suited the narrative of the painting.

Omentum is on tour through OSAC’s Arts on the Move program and will be featured in venues throughout Saskatchewan. To learn more about the program and to find out when the exhibition will be in your area, visit osac.ca. For more information contact Zoë Schneider, Visual Arts Manager, OSAC (306 586-1252).

Funding for this project is provided by Saskatchewan Lotteries, SaskCulture, the Department of Canadian Heritage, and the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils (OSAC).