The WKP Kennedy Gallery is hosting a solo exhibition by artist Frank Polson, entitled The Seven Grandfathers, this June 28 until August 11.
This exhibition is the result of a collaborative anti-bullying project between the artist and Amo Ososwan School, creating images that illustrate a traditional Anishinaabe legend that would support a resource guide for youth to eliminate bullying and promote positive social behaviours, says a gallery news release.
“The Seven Grandfather teachings get their names from a legend according to which the Great Spirit, witnessing the chaos in which his people were living, had his messenger find an individual to whom the seven grandfathers would teach the seven values that would help them re-establish order and create the necessary conditions to provide a healthy lifestyle, also called The Good Life,” says Polson.
The Seven Grandfathers exhibition is a collection of seven horizontal acrylic paintings, 36 x 48 inches, of totem-animals representing the seven ancestral Anishinaabe values.
“This exhibition enlightens audiences about the Seven Grandfather teachings, which are fundamental to Anishinaabe way of life,” says gallery manager Alex Landon Richardson. “Gaining an understanding of Indigenous culture is a step that can be taken in our community towards fostering reconciliation.”
Frank Polson was born in Ville-Marie, Temiscamingue, and is a member of the Algonquin Long Point First Nations community (Winneway, Temiscamingue). For the past 17 years, he has worked at developing his style in the medium of acrylics. Polson is a self-taught painter who produces works of unique beauty, in the Woodland style, which is in accordance with his heritage.
“The exhibition is set to travel around the country to promote Woodland art and bring to light the wisdom of our culture,” says Polson.
The opening reception for this exhibition is on June 28, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the WKP Kennedy Gallery.
