Gallery 1C03 at The University of Winnipeg proudly presents: Everett Soop: Journalist, Cartoonist Activist
Gallery 1C03 to host touring exhibition curated by Heather Devine and Geraldine Chimirri-Russell, organized by the Nickle Arts Museum at the University of Calgary, showcasing selected political cartoons created by Soop in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s.
Everett Soop (1943 – 2001), from the Blood (Kainai) Reserve in Alberta, was one of Canada’s first Aboriginal journalists and editorial cartoonists. A preeminent wit and social critic, Soop’s skilled and creative pen was well poised to deliver cutting political commentary. Soop remains highly respected and admired for his insightful remarks on a range of issues that spared no sentiments; all interest groups were satirized in fair share for the positions and roles they played in the structuring and realization of life in Canada.
After attending St. Paul’s Indian Residential School to the fifth grade, Soop completed his schooling in Cardston, Alberta. He was a gifted artist and writer, and attended various schools including the Alberta College of Art, Brigham Young University in Utah, the University of Lethbridge, and later Mount Royal College. In 1968, he joined the Kainai News as an editorial journalist and columnist.
At the age of 16, Soop was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. As his illness progressed, he became confined in a wheelchair. Rather than give in to the disease, he became involved in advocacy work by educating health professionals and citizens at large about issues concerning the physically disabled.
Everett Soop was an early leader in the Aboriginal political movement that surfaced in the 1960s, and his is the only Aboriginal artist whose work is represented in the Museum of Caricatures of the National Archives of Canada. This exhibition serves to celebrate life and work through a retrospective presentation of his political cartoons.
 Everett Soop, photographed by his brother, Louis, at Standoff, Alberta, in the 1970s. Courtesy of Louis Soop. |
Everett Soop: Journalist, Cartoonist Activist is available for viewing from March 5 - April 4, 2009. Members of the media are invited to arrange interviews with co-curator, Dr. Heather Devine, on March 5 and 6, 2009.
EVENTS
Exhibition launch – Thursday, March 5, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. (1st Floor, Centennial Hall)
Lecture by Dr. Heather Devine, “Everett Soop’s Cartoons: Their Political and Social Context” –
Friday, March 6 at 12:30 p.m. in Room 2C15 (2nd Floor, Centennial Hall)
Panel discussion: “Humour in Indigenous Cultures” featuring Carol Shields Writer in Residence, Maria Campbell; comedian Ryan McMahon; and Indigenous Literatures scholar, Niigonwedom J. Sinclair – Thursday, March 19 at 6:30 p.m. in Convocation Hall (visit gallery1C03.blogspot.com for more information)
Admission is always free and all are welcome!
Gallery hours from March 5 – April 4, 2009: Monday – Friday: 12:00 – 4:00 p.m.; Saturday: 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Gallery 1C03 thanks the Department of Canadian Heritage for its generous financial support through the Exhibition Circulation Fund.
For further information, contact University art curator Milena Placentile at (204) 786-9253 or m.placentile@uwinnipeg.ca.