Tag Archives: Commonwealth Games

Arts from the Arctic

September 11 – October 30, 1994

Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery

Curated by Abraham Anghik Ruben, Canada’s international committee representative.

Arts of the Arctic features contemporary aboriginal art and craft works from Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Lapland, and Russia. The exhibition and its international planning committee were seed funded by UNESCO in recognition of the World Decade for Cultural Development. The purpose of the exhibit program is to present arts of the Arctic people to all of its regions and to other people in the world. There are currently several versions of the exhibition travelling throughout the participating Polar countries.

Arts of the Arctic presents to the public the fascinating diversity of traditional and contemporary arts as they are now practiced. the Ravenstail weavings of Yukon’s Ann Smith vie with colourful prints from baffin Island and decorated knives of the Lapland Sami. The monumental modern bronze forms of Abraham Ruben can be compared to traditional soap stone carvings from Alaska and the small ivory figures from Siberia.

Botswana Live: An Exhibition of Art and Craftwork

June 5 – August 31, 1994

Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery

Circulated by the Botswana Society in Association with the Botswana National Museum, Monuments, and Art Gallery.

David and Elsie Apivor will bring a sample of Botswana to Canada with the stories they tell. They are a recently retired couple who had lived in Central Africa for twenty years. Their work on an Anglican mission in Botswana took them to many places throughout the country. During their five year travels they collected many stories, most of which are associated with the Bamangwato, one of the principle tribes in Botswana.

The Apivors are members of the Victoria Story Tellers Guild, a group of tellers and listeners dedicated to revitalizing the art of oral tradition. The group meets twice monthly to share stories  that come from the folklore, literature, and imaginations of many cultures. By sharing these stories the Guild hopes to foster understanding of other cultures and other peoples. In connection with the Commonwealth Games, they received a grant from the Arts and Cultural Committee to research and perform stories from commonwealth countries.