Divine Display
Artist Lita Fontaine on femininity and the importance of art
Chelse McKee
“The one thing about The Sacred Feminine was to honour my own femininity within myself and to bring out the beauty in our culture,” said artist Lita Fontaine about her latest show, which is currently on display at the Urban Shaman Gallery.
An honoured artist, with works displayed at the Winnipeg Art Gallery and the Manitoba Legislature, Fontaine is proudly Dakota and Anishinaabe and holds a diploma in Fine Art from the University of Manitoba and a master’s degree in Fine Art from the University of Regina.
While in university, Fontaine was met with her first obstacle in the art world: she felt there was a lack of Aboriginal art being studied in comparison to the abundance of European art.
“I always felt like I was battling the system. For me, there wasn’t very much Aboriginal art. I had to fight my way and talk myself and talk to the people. It was almost like I had to prove to myself and the faculty that [Aboriginal] art was just as valid as whatever I was studying,” said Fontaine, who is one of the founding members of the Urban Shaman Gallery.
However, Fontaine believes there has been an increase in the number of Aboriginal art students over the years, and she hopes students realize how important it is to create art.
“I would like to let them know just to hang in there and speak of what [they] believe and of what [their] art is all about. It’s who we are,” said Fontaine, who cites artists Lee-Ann Martin and Bob Boyer as her mentors, as well as Jackson Beardy and Carl Ray, who are members of the Woodlands School of Art. “We never separated art from our culture.”
Fontaine’s current exhibition, entitled The Sacred Feminine, includes both black and white and colour photographs that were taken in both urban and rural locations. Her images vary from natural images, such as trees and beaches, to female subjects and traditional peoples. However, Fontaine is not contained in the medium she uses, as her current show also includes mixed media works and installation that incorporate women’s corsets.
According to Fontaine’s artist statement: the sacred feminine is embodied in all women. It is the beauty within ourselves. It manifests itself in our desire to create, to nourish, to feel and be in cooperative relationship with others. Globally there is a resurgence of the feminine as healing energy.”
So along with being a successful artist in Winnipeg, Fontaine has found a way to nourish others: teaching. She has been the artist-in-residence in the Seven Oaks School Division for the last five years, and is the only artist currently holding the title.
“I think it’s an important position,” said Fontaine, who has worked with the University of Manitoba as a sessional instructor, teaching foundation drawing just last year. “It helps the students because art is an important aspect in all education. I think [art is] . . . important, just as important as math is, and English.”
The Sacred Feminine runs until March 3 at the Urban Shaman Gallery, located at 203-290 McDermot Avenue.
