Whiskey Scrip Heather Shillinglaw
Wanuskewin Gallery is proud to present the work of Edmonton-based Metis artist Heather Shillinglaw, Whiskey Scrip, from October 12- December 14. On October 19, Heather held an artist’s talk and performance in our main gallery space.
Shillinglaw’s installation retells her family’s oral history of her great-great-grandfather John “Old Man Jack” Norris, who, according to family stories, contracted First Nations and Métis women to transport whiskey on Red River Carts, disguised as homesteading supplies. Shillinglaw’s beaded and quilted hide map of the Carlton Trail traces these journeys from Fort Garry to Fort Edmonton, entangled with the issuance of Métis scrip and the impacts of this smuggled alcohol.
This exhibition is supported by the Edmonton Arts Council, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Canada Council for the Arts and RBC Foundation.
