Gerald McMaster facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gerald McMaster
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| Born | March 9, 1953 |
| Nationality | Canadian, Siksika Nation |
| Occupation | curator, artist |
Gerald Raymond McMaster is a famous Plains Cree artist, writer, and curator. He was born on March 9, 1953, in North Battleford, Canada. He is a member of the Siksika Nation. Today, McMaster is a professor at OCAD University. He also works as an adjunct curator at the Remai Modern art gallery in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
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Early Life and Learning
Gerald McMaster grew up on the Red Pheasant First Nation reserve in Saskatchewan, Canada. His father was Blackfoot, and his mother was Plains Cree. He often listened to radio shows like Lone Ranger and Hopalong Cassidy. He also loved reading western comic books. These stories later inspired his artwork.
McMaster once said that he has lived in cities since he was nine years old. He studied art in the United States, learning Western art styles. Yet, people still call him an "Indian" artist. He also shared that he enjoys traditional powwow dancing and singing. But he also loves music from all over the world.
He started his art studies at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, from 1973 to 1975. He then earned his first degree in fine arts from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Later, he got his master's degree in Anthropology and Sociology from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. He continued his studies in the Netherlands at the University of Amsterdam.
Artistic Style and Creations
McMaster's art often uses humor and a clever mix of old and new ideas. He combines traditional Native American symbols with modern pop culture. His artwork explores how people have many different identities.
For example, in his piece Eclectic Baseball, he mixed traditional Plains Indian symbols of war and sacred ceremonies. He combined these with symbols and actual gear from modern baseball. One of his most well-known art series is called The cowboy/Indian Show. He gets ideas for his art from old hide paintings, pictographs, and petroglyphs (rock carvings). He uses oil and acrylic paints in his work.
In 1995, McMaster stopped being a full-time artist. He wanted to spend more time curating art shows, writing, and thinking about art theory.
Career as a Curator and Writer
From 1977 to 1981, Gerald McMaster helped run the Indian Art Program. He also taught at the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College at the University of Regina. In 1981, he became the curator of Contemporary Indian Art at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa. A curator is someone who chooses, organizes, and presents art for museum exhibits.
McMaster has put together many important contemporary Native art shows. One famous show was INDIGENA at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. In 2011, he co-curated Inuit Modern at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto. In 1995, McMaster curated Edward Poitras's art show for the Biennale di Venezia. Poitras was the first Indigenous artist from Canada to show his work there.
From 2000 to 2004, McMaster worked at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York City. He helped manage the museum's collections. He also curated shows like First American Art in 2004 and New Tribe/New York in 2005.
He was also the curator of Canadian art at the Art Gallery of Ontario until 2012. In 2020, McMaster wrote a book about the artist Iljuwas Bill Reid. The book is called Iljuwas Bill Reid: Life & Work. It shares a lot about Reid's career and his Indigenous background.
Awards and Recognitions
Gerald McMaster has received several important awards for his work:
- 2005 - He was given the Order of Canada. This is one of the highest honors for Canadians.
- 2005 - He received the National Aboriginal Achievement Award.
- 2022 - He won a Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts.
Selected Publications
Gerald McMaster has written and edited many books and articles about art. Here are a few examples:
- Robert Houle: Indians from A to Z (1990)
- Indigena. Contemporary native perspectives in Canadian art (1992)
- Edward Poitras: Canada Xlvi Biennale Di Venezia (1995)
- Reservation X (1999)
- Native Universe: Voices of Indian America (2004)
- First American Art: The Charles and Valerie Diker Collection of American Indian Art (2004)
- Remix: New Modernities in a Post-Indian World (2007)
- Iljuwas Bill Reid: Life & Work (2020)
