Day Five (Toronto)

The sun was shinning today to welcome Open Spaces Gallery. Today I purchased a one hour parking ticket and marked out a couple feet between two cars.

This limited space was perfect because it represented how I felt. The expression of First Nation culture in the beautiful outdoors and fresh air was so stimulating. I only added a small section of beaded patterning to the gallery's territorial marker but I was so proud with the performance. Totally calming I guess.

I related todays beading of the territorial marker to an artist I learned about today. Marianne Nicolson's outdoor "Cliff Painting" of a emblematic shield served to identify the territory of her isolated community in Kingcome Inlet, BC. Her painting identifies the importance of subtle recognition, for the very least to feel apart of the greater existence. This project of allowing a parking space to be represented into a cultural venue is a subtle and important reminder that free expression of culture is a great feeling and rejuvenating.

Day Four (Toronto)

Day Four saw the Open Spaces Gallery being led by Morena and Fiona, snow and numb hands. New detail in beadwork and colour has been added to the Open Spaces territorial marker.

This Wednesday, March 3oth will follow another traditional pow-wow with the sharing of more craft by Ojibway artist and instructor, Bonnie.

Day Three (Toronto)

It was the third day of Open Spaces Gallery and there were three people taking part in the gallery space. Our guest Bonnie, Ojibway artist and art educator, chose to share some knowledge on beadwork. As a ritual for the opening of the Open Spaces Gallery ritual, we again marked off the rented space with sidewalk chalk. Also, the painted Iroquois Flag (babystroller) serves as an Open Spaces Gallery territorial flag. ON this occassion of the performance I came with turf builder to pour on the cement as a method for growing grass. As per Bonnie's instructions, traditionally, a First Nation person will ask permission from inanimate objects of nature in the form of a prayer before receiving. So, the three of us reached into the turf builder with our left hand, by using the left hand allows the prayer a connection to the heart. With each spread of the turf builder, we would ask the cement to grow grass in its place.

For the rest of the performance Bonnie led Morena and I in decorating the current Open Spaces Gallery territorial marker. The process included covering the painted Iroquois Confederacy Flag with a white fabric and then adding three individual sections of beading, one for each of us. This process was so much fun for me because it was unexpected, educational and I just really liked collaborating and creating something new outside. At this moment, I think next week we will continue the process of decorating the Open Spaces Gallery territorial marker with more beadwork. There could even be some grass growing.

Day Two (Toronto)

On March 9th 2011 Open Spaces Gallery opened its second public performance of making the sharing and practice of First Nation culture visible. On this Wednesday I was joined by a fellow OCAD student Morena, seen painting and representing the the baby stroller which served as the first Open Spaces Gallery territorial marker. We painted the broken baby stroller with the emblem of the Iroquois Confederacy Flag which represents the peace and power of the Six Nations of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora.

I felt that using a physical territorial marker would help in the identification of the Open Spaces Gallery territory and would signify this project being a safe approach to provide a space for the visible sharing of First Nation culture.

I am really happy that I was able to receive help from Morena making the process of raising awareness and creating the territorial flag much simpler. In leading by example, Morena has encouraged other members of the OCAD student society and faculty to engage within the mandate of the Open Spaces Gallery.

Next Wednesday, March 16th, the Open Spaces Gallery will be providing space for 5 OCAD students and faculty to share in a traditional First Nation pow-wow. Plans are to adorn the chosen space with turf and as a group create and share in craftwork and repolishing the territorial marker, as the paint on the baby stroller is messy after dealing with the rain and snow from last week.

For more information about the Open Spaces Gallery call for submissions, please refer to the Call for Submissions posting on this blog.

Day One (Toronto)

On March 2nd 2011 I introduced the concept of Open Spaces Gallery outside of OCAD at 100 McCaul Street, between Dundas and Queen. I have documented this event and posted the photos with this entry.

I learned a lot from following through with this concept. I bought an hour of time from the local parking meter. I had expected to be renting space that would fit the size of a car. However, all of the spots were full. So, with sidewalk chalk I drew my own border around available space between two parked cars, probably 5 feet. It was a great action of spontaneity because I realized that the Open Spaces Gallery would be able to fit in any size of space.

As this was my introductory performance, I only needed enough space for myself to perform a ceremony that allowed me to mark my territory.

I wrote on the sidewalk and street that "I OWN THIS LAND". The purpose of this performance is to challenge possibility that as an individual, I can purchase land on the street through a parking meter to use as a gallery and for the performance of culture and art.

My gallery's mandate is that this space will be made available for the sharing of First Nation culture.

I have posted a call for submissions on this blog, around OCAD, in the office of Aboriginal Visual Culture Program. In the near future I plan to try and leave submissions at the University of Toronto's First Nations House at 563 Spadina Avenue, The Native Canadian Centre of Toronto at 16 Spadina Road and online.

If there are no responses to my call for submissions, this coming Wednesday at 1230pm I will be performing a second ceremony identifying the space of land by decorating territorial markers. Currently I have found a broken baby stroller and plan to paint the fabric into a territorial flag that will signify my purchased territory. The potential flags I will paint are; the Iroquois Confederacy flag, the Anishnabe New World Order design, or the Ojibway design which marks the colors and geographical location of the various First Nation tribes.

I am also excited about representing a Western conception of a baby stroller as a First Nation territorial flag. I feel that this action will comment on Carl Beam's art projects "Need to Explain" and "Bury the Ruler" that question Western conventions of defining materials and events.

Call for Submissions

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

OPEN SPACES GALLERY

WEDNESDAYS 12:30- 1:30 PM

RECLAMATION OF LAND

along McCaul St. between Dundas and Queen

or

along Dundas St. W. between McCaul and Beverly

Gallery Mandate:

To create an open space for the sharing of First Nation culture

Eligibility:

Preference will be given to artist or person of First Nation descent

wishing to share aspect of culture

or

expression of being a First Nation artist or person in contemporary society

to make a submission or to create a dialogue

email a member of the Open Spaces Artist Run Society (Joel, Billy, Jerry, Miloc or Batman) at JoelLibin@Hotmail.com

include Open Spaces Submission in your emails subject heading