Blake Debassige was a Native Canadian artist of the M'Chigeeng First Nation,[1] born at West Bay on Manitoulin Island in Ontario on June 22, 1956, passed June 13, 2022.[2] A leading member of the "second generation" of Ojibwa artists influenced by Norval Morrisseau, Debassige has broadened the stylistic and thematic range of this group. Debassige's paintings and graphics frequently investigate traditional Anishabek teachings about the nature of cosmic order, the cycles of the seasons, the interdependence of animal, plant and human life and the common principles at work in the world's great spiritual systems.[3] He frequently relates these themes to highly contemporary problems such as the destruction of the environment, the alienation of native youth and family dysfunction.[4]
Debassige married the Cree painter Shirley CheeChoo in 1978.
Solo exhibitions
edit- Debosegai, curated and toured by the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, July 12-September 8, 1985[5]
Group exhibitions
edit- The art of the Anishnawbek : three perspectives: exhibition held at the Royal Ontario Museum, 9 March 1996-Spring 1997[6]
- Political landscapes # two:sacred and secular sites : an exhibition of work by thirteen artists from two communities, co-curated by Debassige and Stephen Hogbin and hosted at the Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery, August 23-September 22, 1991 and the Ojibway Cultural Foundation and Kasheese Studio, West Bay, Manitoulin Island, Sept. 27-Oct. 20, 1991 [7]
- Woodlands: Contemporary Art of the Anishnabe, curated by the Thunder Bay Art Gallery July 7-September 3, 1989[8]
- Manitoulin Island: The Third Layer, curated by the Thunder Bay Art Gallery April 3-May 24, 1987[9]
- Last Camp, First Song: Indian Art from the Royal Ontario Museum, curated by the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, June 15-July 31, 1983[10]
- Anishnabe mee-kun : a circulating exhibition of art by Anishnabe artists of the Manitoulin Island area. Exhibition held at the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation, West Bay, Manitoulin Island, Sept. 15-Oct. 20, 1980[11]
Collections
editReferences
edit- ^ Ojibwe Cultural Foundation Permanent Collection
- ^ Native Art in Canada
- ^ Phillips, Ruth B. (2013-12-13). "Blake Randolph Debassige | The Canadian Encyclopedia". thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
- ^ the Canadian Encyclopedia
- ^ Blake Debassige - Canadian Heritage Information Network
- ^ Angeconeb, Ahmoo; Debassige, Blake; Thomas, Roy; Nicks, Trudy; Royal Ontario Museum (1996). The art of the Anishnawbek: three perspectives. Toronto, Ont.: Royal Ontario Museum. ISBN 978-0-88854-418-6. OCLC 976886168.
- ^ Debassige, Blake; Hogbin, Stephen; Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery; Ojibway Cultural Foundation (1991). Political landscapes # two: sacred and secular sites : an exhibition of work by thirteen artists from two communities. Owen Sound, Ont.: Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery. ISBN 978-0-929021-10-2. OCLC 59733778.
- ^ Podedworny, Carol; Thunder Bay Art Gallery; Indian Art Centre (Canada); Origins Program (Minneapolis, Minn.) (1989). Woodlands: contemporary art of the Anishnabe. Thunder Bay, Ont.; [Hull, Quebec]; Minneapolis, Minn.: Thunder Bay Art Gallery ; Indian Art Centre of the Dept. of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada ; Origins Program. ISBN 978-0-920539-27-9. OCLC 1032686755.
- ^ Cinader, Bernhard; Thunder Bay Art Gallery (1987). Manitoulin Island: the third layer. Thunder Bay, Ont.: Thunder Bay Art Gallery. ISBN 978-0-920539-19-4. OCLC 17161978.
- ^ Blake Debassige - Canadian Heritage Information Network
- ^ Ojibwe Cultural Foundation (1980). Anishnabe mee-kun: a circulating exhibition of art by Anishnabe artists of the Manitoulin Island area. OCLC 864695477.
- ^ "Legends: Norval Morrisseau and Anishinabek "Woodland School" Artists". Archived from the original on 2015-09-07. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
- ^ Ojibwe Cultural Foundation Permanent Collection
External links
edit- Blake Debassige - Canadian Heritage Information Network
- Blake Debassige - Canadian Encyclopedia entry
- Smith, Theresa S.; Debassige, Blake; Cheechoo, Shirley; Mishibinijima, James Simon; Bell, Leland (1994). "Beyond the Woodlands: Four Manitoulin Painters Speak Their Minds". American Indian Quarterly. 18 (1): 1–24. doi:10.2307/1185726. ISSN 0095-182X. JSTOR 1185726.
- Penney, David W; McMaster, Gerald; Gover, Kevin; National Museum of the American Indian (U.S.) (2013). Before and after the Horizon: Anishinaabe Artists of the Great Lakes. ISBN 978-1-58834-452-6.
- Roos, Stephanie Gaudette (2004). "Negotiating the line between native and Christian: Blake Debassige's Tree of life in context".
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