What can we learn from the art works of First Nations and Métis people?
How is FNMI art changing? How does FNMI art works reflect their unique culture?

CH 4.2 Analyze and respond to arts expressions of various Saskatchewan First Nations and Métis artists.

Multi-grade connections:
CH 3.2 Demonstrate an awareness of traditional and evolving arts expressions of Saskatchewan First Nations and Métis artists in own communities or regions.

CH 5.2 Compare traditional and evolving arts expressions of First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists from different regions of Canada, and examine influences of pop culture on contemporary arts.

This site is dedicated to Metis artists working in the visual arts.
The links on the site were set up for information purposes to highlight some interesting work being produced by Metis visual artists in Canada.
The images & text found on each artists' page is excerpted from various sources available on-line. The sources have been indicated and you are encouraged to click on the links to those websites.

Socially-based Curriculum Unit

In this unit developed for NAC1O (Expressing Aboriginal Culture), students create a collaborative art piece that expresses Aboriginal identity in a variety of areas. The collaborative art piece consists of many individual pieces of art that form together to form the word “pride.” Each letter has a group assigned to it, and each letter is assigned a theme/idea (ie. clanship, land claims, traditional teachings, community activities, etc) that is researched and then expressed in the artwork of each letter and presented to the class.

Students are provided with an opportunity to discover why Aboriginal peoples identify and are concerned with certain social and political issues. They are also given the opportunity to research an assigned topic, express themselves creatively, work in a group setting, discuss salient issues, and present to their peers. The project also fosters a sense of classroom unity via large group collaboration.

In this unit students will learn about the mixed media artworks of artist George Littlechild who addresses topics of identity, history, story, and memory. Students will be asked to research and represent role models that reflect their own identities, cultures, and communities. Students will collect photographs or create drawings of their role
models and will develop personally meaningful symbols and colour palettes in order to create a mixed media collage representing their own identities. Students will explore collage processes, symbolism, and layering.