Edward Poitras facts for kids

Edward Poitras (born in 1953) is a Métis artist from Saskatchewan, Canada. He creates amazing sculptures and art installations using many different materials. His art often explores important topics like history, treaties (agreements), colonialism, and how people live in cities and in nature.

Early Life and Learning

Edward Poitras was born in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1953. He is a member of the Gordon First Nation.

He started his art studies in 1974 at the Saskatchewan Indian Cultural College in Saskatoon. There, he learned from Sarain Stump, an artist who taught him about art from an Indigenous point of view. This greatly shaped how Poitras made his own art. He continued his studies in Quebec with another Indigenous artist, Domingo Cisneros.

Art Career

Edward Poitras has shown his artwork in many important exhibitions, both by himself (solo shows) and with other artists (group shows). These shows have been held in Canada and around the world. Since 1980, his art has often been featured in major exhibitions of modern Indigenous art.

A big moment in his career was in 1995 when he represented Canada at the Venice Biennale. This is a very famous art show in Italy. He was the first Indigenous artist ever chosen to represent Canada there.

His artwork has had a huge impact on modern art. Because of his important contributions, he received the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts in 2002. This is one of Canada's highest honors for artists.

One of his first group shows was in 1982, called New Work by a New Generation. This exhibition was special because it was one of the first in Canada to show modern Indigenous art. Poitras has also had solo shows in Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto. In 1998, he created a large outdoor art piece called The Politics of Land at Wanuskewin Heritage Park in Saskatoon.

His art is part of many collections. You can find his works at places like the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the MacKenzie Art Gallery.

Edward Poitras has also shared his knowledge by teaching art. He taught at the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College and the University of Manitoba. He also taught at the University of Regina, which is now known as the First Nations University of Canada.

Art Themes

In his early art installations, like Day Break Sentinel (1983) and Internal Recall (1986–88), Poitras often used figures that seemed to float. In Internal Recall, seven life-sized figures are shown kneeling with their hands tied. Ropes connect their hands to the ceiling. On the wall, words about treaties (agreements) with First Nations are written. This artwork shows how these agreements were made and how some promises were not always kept.

Poitras uses many different materials in his art. These include natural items like stone and animal bones. He also uses traditional beadwork and old photos. Sometimes, he mixes these with modern things like computer parts, wires, and audio tapes.

The coyote is a special animal in many Indigenous cultures. It is often seen as a trickster or a symbol of survival. The coyote is a repeating theme in Poitras's art. You can see it in his installations like Marginal Recession (1991) and Coyote (1986).

Awards

• 1998 Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award from the Canada Council.
• Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts (2002).

Selected Solo Exhibitions

• Horses Fly Too, Mackenzie Art Gallery, Regina, 1984
• Indian Territory Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, 1988
• The Power Plant, Toronto (1989)
• Galerie Articule, Montreal (1991)
• Three Lemons and a Dead Coyote, Ottawa School of Art, Ottawa, 1993
• Jaw Rez, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, (1996)
• Western Front Society, Vancouver (1998)
• RESIG/NATION, Galerie Le lieu, Quebec City, 2000
• Qu’Appelle: Tales of Two Valleys, (travelling exhibition organized by Mendel Art Gallery), 2002
• 13 Coyotes, Mackenzie Art Gallery, Regina, 2012

Selected Group Exhibitions

• Canadian Biennial of Contemporary Art, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 1989
• Indigena, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, 1992
• Borderzones, UBC Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver, 2010
• SAKAHÁN: International Indigenous Art, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 2013

Personal Life

In the 1980s, Edward Poitras married Robin Wiens. She is also an artist, known for her dancing and performance art.