OUTLOOK — The latest offering on the walls of the Outlook Art Gallery is putting a strong spotlight on what dogs can offer in our lives.
Featuring a multitude of works from a total of 17 artists, Atim Maskikhiy (‘Dog Medicine’ in Cree) is the newest show that is sure to grab the attention of both animal lovers and art enthusiasts.
The works on display represent the efforts of artists who are local to the La Ronge tri-community area in northern Saskatchewan, with these multimedia pieces representing the artists’ interpretations of the dog-human relationship as expressed through preliminary findings of a community-driven research project conducted in the community.
With the intended goal of highlighting the need for improved access to animal health and welfare services in northern, remote and Indigenous communities everywhere, this particular gallery represents a call to action for systemic change at the human-dog interface.
Through their work, the artists featured in this exhibit are showing that dog-human bonds are highly valued and often critical to human life and well-being in the north, and current approaches to ‘fixing’ dog problems in communities without regular access to care are said to be ignoring what are seen as important contributors at the root of the issue.
Curated by Dr. Jordan Woodsworth, Director of Northern Engagement and Community Outreach at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, the artists featured in this exhibition are: Andrea Cowan, Caron Dubnick, Donna Langhorne, Hilary Johnstone, John Halkett, Larissa Muirhead, Miriam Koerner, Molly Ratt, Myles Charles, Nancy Lafleur, Terri Franks, Sammi Kopeck, Abigail Clarke, Annalisa Heppner, Jade Roberts, Jasmine Grondin and Wendy Cleveland.
The exhibit opened its doors in Outlook this week and is set to run at the art gallery until Oct. 23.
