Kelci Jacoby: November 2012

Question

Emily Carr: the environment and the First Nations of Canada

Over the years, Canada has been seen as a majestic, serene place; but in recent years this stereotype has changed. With pollution from major corporations altering the landscape, and past colonization with the First Nations, Canada isn’t as beautiful as it once was. At the end of the Nineteenth Century, an artist by the name of Emily Carr was making her name in the western art world, painting the Indigenous peoples before they themselves became part of the past, as a result from the encroachment on their culture, language, lands and practices. In 1912, Carr set out on a six-week journey to paint native villages on the British Colombia Coast and in Northern British Colombia. As a result, two of the themes prevalent in her paintings were developed; the first theme being the perceptible presence of the Aboriginal past and second, the landscape of the western coast of Canada. Despite her love for the Native peoples, Carr herself felt the assimilation of the Natives was inevitable.

In order to solve these issues relating to the Indigenous Peoples and the environment, we must ask one basic question. How have Canada’s policies affected the sites of Emily Carr’s paintings, not only environmentally but also culturally? When asking this question we must analyze the Canadian Government’s stance towards the Indigenous peoples, not only during Emily Carr’s time as an artist, but also how their stance has progressed or regressed over the last century. In order to solve the environmental aspect of the question, I will have to analyze the policies relating to the environment from not only British Colombia, but also other parts of Canada and apply them to the photographs in order to draw my conclusions.

Significance:

Why is this research important?

The research aids in bringing awareness to the audience in four main ways. First, to inform whom Emily Carr was, second, why she was important, third, how the Canadian Government’s policies have impacted the landscape and fourth, the issues the Indigenous peoples face today due to the policies adapted by the Canadian Government. When asking fellow class mates if they knew who Emily Carr was, all but one answered with a definite “no” or a “sounds familiar,” my research shows that despite being educated many do not know or have never heard of Emily Carr. In response to the second point, while attending a Liberal Arts school I think it is very important for students to know about, not only premier American Artists, but also Canadian artists as well. Because of past action (or in this case, no action at all) pollution is wreaking havoc on the landscape of many Canadian areas. One of the most widely recognized pollution sites would have to be the Alberta Tar Sands; with the Canadian Government taking no action, the Tar Sands have created issues that might never be resolved. Without any other academic researching the question stated in the introduction, very few actually know what kind of shape the environment is in at the sites of Carr’s paintings.

Over the last century, the Indigenous peoples have faced many challenges as a result of colonization. Of the past problems they faced, many are still prevalent in today’s Indigenous societies. A majority of the tribes, if not all, have issues with reclaiming the land, drug and alcohol abuse, problems with revitalizing their culture, and also trying to find a way to heal the members of the tribes who have faced troubling situations. When Carr traveled to the Tribal villages to paint them before they disappeared, many had already been abandoned and were already in the process of being lost forever. Some of the sort term and long term impacts the research could accomplish might include, acculturating the audience to Canadian Art, bringing awareness to the audience of Canadian policies that have been detrimental to the landscape and the Indigenous peoples, and to hopefully inspire future generations of both native and non-native to preserve what is left of their culture and what is left of the sites Emily Carr Painted. By traveling to the sites, I plan on showing and analyzing the history and politics involved that have shaped the landscape to how it appears today.

Background:

What previous research is there?

In the twenty-first century, Emily Carr has been the subject of numerous plays, films, poems and books. Despite not being widely recognized until the ripe age of 57, Emily Carr would go on to be one of Canada’s premier artists, and is often recognized as the greatest female artist Canada has ever had. In the articles I gathered many were about the life of Emily Carr, and gave a brief background to her life; leading me to conclude that other than researching her life (where she was born, etc.) there hasn’t been any in-depth studies of this specific question. Although previous work has included looking at whether Carr gendered the trees she painted in her artwork (Collett, A., & Jones, D. 2009.) Some of the articles also go into depth about Carr’s time as a writer, and finally the research that has been done about Carr and how she painted the Indigenous Peoples.

Over the years no one has researched the exact question, but they have done similar projects with the Group of Seven (another famous band of Canadian Painters). I am making this research question unique by adding my love of photography and by differing from the norm, and not writing a research paper. Instead, I plan on holding a show of the photographs I will shoot at the painting sites, and present my analysis on cards next to the paintings and the photographs.

Specific Aims:

Answer Secondary Questions

The objective of this research is to compare and contrast the landscape and how it has changed over the years, looking at a variety of factors including, Canada’s stance towards the environment, and their stance towards the Indigenous tribes. Although there is one broad question, other underlying factors will also need to be researched in order to fully analyze the research question. Some possible secondary questions that could be researched might range from Carr’s political views to her involvement with the Canadian Government. Specifically, questioning how did Carr’s political views change her paintings? If she let her political views alter her paintings, were they changed in a positive or negative way? What was her stance on the status of the First Nation Peoples? What were the specific policies that were in place during her time as a painter? Did she find the policies acceptable? What was the purpose of Canada’s Environmental policies? Also, what were they getting out of the policies, and whom were they affecting? Was she involved with the Canadian Government at all in her life? By looking at these underlying questions I will be able to conclude if her paintings were created with a biased lens that is often found in Native art by Non-native artists.

In order to fully analyze the sites, I will have to research the history of the sites themselves. As I stated above, many of the villages she painted were abandoned when she arrived there, what I will need to find out is how long they had been abandoned, what specific tribe was living at the village and why were they abandoned in the first place? Was it a result of the assimilation that went on after European contact or were there other contributing factors? All of these questions are important to ask and must be fully researched. After I have an understanding of these questions and their answer’s my research will continue by interviewing tribal elders of the specific tribes affected on the Western Coast, and interview a Professor or historian who has studied Carr’s life.

Research Design:

Traveling to the sites

The research will consist of locating twenty sites of various Emily Carr paintings, some of which are the same area but different spots, researching the history of the sites, and eventually going to take pictures of the sites, depicting how they appear today. Before I am able to go photograph the sites, the secondary questions stated above must be answered to fully analyze the environmental and cultural differences between the paintings and the photographs. Answering the secondary questions will be accomplished by reading various books either by Carr herself, or other historians. If not all questions are answered completely, the research will shift to personal interviews with the tribal elders of the tribes affected by the policies, environmental historians from British Colombia, and Emily Carr historians. Once I have all of the questions analyzed and solved, I will need to travel to the specific sites, shoot both film and digital, develop the pictures and analyze the pictures to see the differences. To present my research, I plan on having a showing of the photos I take, with prints of the paintings next to the picture. Next to the painting and photograph, there will be a card explaining the differences I found, which will answer the main puzzle by using the research I collect. In my research I think I will discover the main purpose of Emily Carr’s paintings and also that all of the sites have been impacted negatively by Canadian Policy’s.

Summary:

What am I planning to accomplish?

In the research, I plan on answering one primary question: how have Canada’s policies affected the sites of Emily Carr’s paintings, not only environmentally but also culturally? In order to answer this question I will look at many secondary questions and interview tribal elders, environmental historians, and historians that hare experienced in analyzing Emily Carr’s work and who also know a significant amount about Emily Carr’s life. Once I have answered the questions, I will travel to twenty various sites of her paintings. When I arrive at the site, I will take photographs of how they appear today; once I have developed the photographs, using the secondary questions I will analyze each photograph in order to solve the question. I will present my research by having a showing of the pictures with prints of the paintings. The significance of my research includes: informing the general audience about Emily Carr, how the policies the Canadian government adapted affected not only the environment but also the Native Peoples.

1. Friendly cove- http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/text2html/.visual/img_txt/dir_87/pdp00557.txt?PDP00557

-yuquot, british col.

2. Skagway from End of Wharf - Cold Wind - Ugh!,

-Skagway Alaska:

http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/text2html/.visual/img_txt/dir_87/pdp00562.txt?PDP00562

3. RESERVE, NORTH VANCOUVER- http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/text2html/.visual/img_txt/dir_87/pdp00656.txt?PDP00656

-The Squamish Nation’s Mission reserve is located just west of Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver.

4.PAINTERS AND PAINTING- http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/text2html/.visual/img_txt/dir_87/pdp00648.txt?PDP00648

5. SECHELT ST. OF GEORGIA: http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/text2html/.visual/img_txt/dir_87/pdp00827.txt?PDP00827

TANOO, QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLAND

http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/text2html/.visual/img_txt/dir_87/pdp02145.txt?PDP02145

7: Lagoon at Albert Head