My name is Judy Chartrand. Iam an
urban, inner city Manitoba Cree, born
in Kamloops and raised in the down-
town eastside of Vancouver. It is an
area that is often referred to as skid
row.

In 1989, while working as a cham-
bermaid, I began purchasing and
painting store-bought ceramic
greenware. In the beginning I was in-
terested in Egyptian products such as
King Tut and Queen Nefertiti busts
and soon graduated to exotic birds.
Around 6 months into my involve-
ment with purchasing the greenware,
a dear friend of mine asked me if I
could make her something that rep-
resented Native American ceramics. I
ended. up going to the library to look
up Navajo rug designs as I thought
that they best represented what she
might be interested in. I painted her a
couple of pots, which I later entered
into a ceramic competition along with
two Egyptian items. I ended up win-
ning two first and two second place
ribbons for the competition.

VE 1)
erudsl

1 éh,
VAN ABLE IN AERO,

WOO

Native Spirituality in a Can Sept 1999
8"H x 3.5"W Hand-built low-fired clay

Judy Chartrand

Running out of money to purchase the
greenware, I decided to make my own
pots with the help of a video entitled
Maria Martinez, San Ildefonso Potter.
Within two months I was making my
own pots and began selling them at a

local Native Arts and Craft fair.

I made enough money to purchase an
abundance of supplies and began an
earnest journey into becoming a
ceramicist. In 1992, I applied and was
accepted into Langara’s Fine Arts Pro-
gram. I later entered into the 2™ year
Fine Arts program at the Emily Carr
Institute of Art & Design where I
graduated with a BFA in 1998. I re-
cently graduated with an MFA in ce-
ramics at the University of Regina in
May 2003.

In the beginning my works were inter-
pretations of ancient and contempo-
rary South West Native American styles
and each pot identified the names
where the original designs came from.
I, in no way, have tried to represent
the designs as being my own. I enjoyed
researching South West pottery and
displayed them with pride. Some peo-
ple have tried to accuse me of appro-
priating designs, but I see it more as a
method of filling up my data bank in
order to progress to the point of mak-
ing original works. Later, as my skills
developed, I began making sculptural
works that were autobiographical in na-
ture and. expressed how I was feeling
with regards to being a First Nations
person in contemporary times.

My current works have evolved from
looking at myself, my family, and the
pain and powerlessness that most First
Nations peoples feel living in a
Eurocentric society to an in-depth ex-
amination of the relationships between
First Nations and. white relations in

Canada.

4 Potters Guild of British Columbia Newsletter

In acontemporary context, it has been
necessary for my art practice to engage
in post-colonial discourse in order to
accurately express my ideas, experiences
and feelings as an urban, inner city First
Nations person. My research concen-
trates on the concept of whiteness, and
the ideology governing white racism
and white superiority. I also examine
the influential factors that create and
maintain a grotesque distortion of First
Nations identity. The sanction of nega-
tive and stereotypical assumptions not
only has a devastating effect on the
identity of First Nations peoples with
regards to how they are viewed and
treated by the mainstream public, but
also results in diminished feelings of
self-confidence and self-worth. Having
had first hand experiences in this mat-
ter, | am compelled to try and make
some sense of all of this.

Continued from page 4

Continued on Page 5

WPPA-White Power, Privilege, Authority Sept
1999 8" Hx 3.5"W Hand-built low-fire clay

January 2004