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Gaagoonyiwinini (Fisher
Woman) by Robert DesJarlait. (Images courtesy Robert DesJarlait.)
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Life has taken many turns for Red Lake artist Robert DesJarlait,
including a pair of recent bouts with cancer. But no matter where
his life has taken him, from the front lines of environmental activism
to the powwow dance arena, DesJarlait has maintained a strong
you might say, genetic connection to art.
A chance encounter with a box of sketches and old memories last
summer prompted DesJarlait to set aside the novel he was working
on for now and to begin work on an ambitious series
of watercolors he calls Reemergence.
He will exhibit the 17 mixed-media paintings that make up Reemergence
at Two Rivers Gallery, located in the Minneapolis American Indian
Center. The exhibit opens with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. July
19.
This is DesJarlaits first solo exhibition since 1990. In
subsequent years, he established a career as an illustrator for
Native American organizations and school programs and as a muralist.
Reemergence marks his return to fine art.
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Artist Robert DesJarlait
working on a painting. (Photo by Meeg-wun DesJarlait.)
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Equally versed in writing, illustration and fine art, DesJarlait
uses each of these media to share his vision of Ojibwe life from
the distant past to the present. He also hopes to inspire other
cancer survivors with his art.
What reemergence really means is coming back from two cancer
surgeries and chemotherapy, being classified as a Stage IV survivor,
and overcoming those obstacles to achieve a personal goal,
Desjarlait said. I hope my efforts encourage and inspire other
survivors to pursue and fulfill their dreams and visions and to
not let this disease overshadow personal attainment.
DesJarlait, currently living in Onamia, has been many things in
his storied life: writer, journalist, artist, a co-founder of the
group Protect our Manoomin, and member of the University
of Minnesota Council of Elders. He is a well-known dancer on the
powwow trail and a respected elder in the community. DesJarlait
has illustrated several books, including Sparrow Hawk by Meridel
Le Sueur and The Creators Game by me (Art Coulson).
In 2013, DesJarlait contracted colon cancer followed by surgery.
In 2016, he went through surgery again for a recurrence of cancer.
As a Stage IV cancer survivor, reengaging in my art provides
a path for healing and has allowed me to return to my roots as a
fine artist. The themes and stories of traditional lifestyles and
activities that dominated my art in the 1980s are retold from a
fresh perspective or a renewal of life. My Reemergence Series is
a testament of resiliency in facing the Asabikeshiinh (Spider) within.
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Misko Majigoodenh (Red Dress).
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I interviewed DesJarlait about his life as an artist and a respected
elder in the community.
The following is an edited transcript of that interview:
AC: At what age did you know you were an artist?
RD: I began my career as an artist in my mid-thirties. But
my development as an artist goes back to when I was 4 to 5 years
old. Having a father who was an artist had its advantages. He was
basically my teacher and mentor. When I first started doing coloring
books, he told me to stay inside the lines and to blend the colors
of my crayons together to get different colors. As I got older,
he encouraged me to draw and he bought me pencils and drawing paper.
Whenever I finished a drawing, I took it to him to get his opinion.
He would critique it and point out how to improve it. So, although
I didnt pursue art as a career until much later in life, art
has always been an active part of my life.
AC: Can you talk a little about your artistic influences?
RD: In art, my father is obviously a main influence. But
its always been a process to break away from his style and
develop my own style. In my early art, I incorporated his sharp,
angular lines in my faces. So, I really had to work to get past
that. I think the Reemergence series shows a level of maturity in
expressing my own style and aesthetics. Other influences include
Van Gogh, in particular his cultural themes that depicted everyday
Dutch life. Matisse and Gauguin are influences in terms of color
palette, in particular Matisse and Fauvism and Gauguins Tahitian
paintings. Japanese artists Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige
were influences in terms of influencing compositional themes.
I think one of the main influences in my writing is Ernest Hemingway,
both his fiction and non-fiction writing. For me, it isnt
about emulating his style but rather writing in a more economical
manner that eliminates needless wordage and is more simple and direct.
AC: How does your Red Lake / American Indian heritage
inform your art?
RD: When I was a young boy, my father would take me to various
camps fishing camps and maple sugar camps. So, I was able
to observe some of the cultural activities that Red Lakers were
engaged in traditional activities that had transcended into
modern times and that formed the themes of my fathers work.
And, that was the key for me when I began doing art. However, rather
than depicting scenes in contemporary settings, I decided to go
further back to the traditional period of time that covered Pre-Contact
Period and early Contact Period of Ojibwe life.
AC: What inspired you to begin work on Reemergence?
RD: Last summer my daughter brought over a box that had been
in storage at my mother-in-laws house. The box contained several
original drawings and photocopies of articles from several solo
exhibitions in the mid-1980s. I posted everything on Facebook and
someone had commented that it was good that I was reclaiming my
art. I hadnt really thought of it that way, but the person
was correct. I began thinking about what that really meant. At the
time, I was working on a novel. I decided to set the book aside
and work on a new body of art through which I could reclaim my art,
ormore specifically, reemerge as a painter.
But reemergence also has a deeper meaning. Its also important
to factor in cancer. Being a cancer survivor has provided the motivation
to do this body of work. If I hadnt contracted cancer in 2013,
I doubt that I would be doing art. If anything, I would have worked
on developing a book, most likely a non-fiction book. However, once
I began my cancer journey, I began to develop a young teen novel
(ages 12-15) about two Ojibwe children dealing with childhood cancer.
As I mentioned, I put the book temporaril on the shelf, and turned
to my art. But art is the means to achieve an end. Doing the Reemergence
series wasnt easy. Many cancer survivors have to deal with
the long-lingering after-effects of chemo. Fatigue is at the top
of the list. Sitting at my art table and painting for 3 months was
grueling at times. But I was determined to see it through. I wanted
to maintain a high level of workmanship and I think the final results
can be seen in the exhibition.
I also want to point out that contributors made the exhibition
possible. When I began Reemergence, I didnt have paints, brushes
or quality paper. I live on a fixed income, so I was limited to
what I could buy. People donated money so I could get the supplies
that I needed. As I neared the end of painting the series, the larger
problem became the means to frame and mat the art. I established
a support fund and, again, people donated money to buy the frames
and mats that I needed. I am forever grateful to the kindness and
support that my art patrons have given me.
AC: You have given your Reemergence works titles in the
Ojibwe language. How important is language to you and your work?
RD: The majority of my work has always been titled in Ojibwe.
Back in the 1980s, I was probably one of the first artists to use
Ojibwe titles. N. Scott Momaday wrote: A word has power in
and of itself. It comes from nothing into sound and meaning; it
gives origin to all things. To name something is to know its
inner essence. A name provides a connection to medicine and spirit.
Although Im not a fluent speaker of the Ojibwe language, I
know enough Ojibwe to name certain things like titles for my work.
For me, naming something in Ojibwe is an expression of my mindset,
and my mindset is a worldview from the perspective of an Ojibwe
person. So, its natural to use the language to give origin
to my work.
AC: Youve been open about your early struggles
with alcohol and your many years of sobriety since. How has that
influenced your art?
RD: Im a recovered alcoholic and drug abuser. My life
of addiction prevented me from using my creative gifts. I was expected
to go to art school after high school but alcohol and drugs became
my main pursuit and that continued until 1982. Oddly, during that
time, I began to study writing and began rudimentary work on three
novels. But none of it went anywhere because of my alcoholism and
drug use. In late 1983, after a year and a half of sobriety, my
wife asked me to illustrate a calendar for Womans Dance Health
Project. Avanyu Gallery in Minneapolis offered to exhibit the illustrations
and offered me a solo exhibit. I was at a crossroads did
I want to pursue art or write a book? I decided to put writing on
the back burner and began developing my art. I had several solo
exhibits as a gallery artist. In the late 80s and early 90s, I began
doing illustrations for Indian Education programs and community
organizations. In the late 90s, I became a muralist and worked on
a number of community mural projects. After a nearly 35-year absence
and 37 years of sobriety, Reemergence marks my return to painting.
AC: As an active powwow dancer, how has your participation
in cultural events across Indian Country influenced your writing
and visual artwork?
RD: Dancing is tied into my sobriety. I began dancing about
three years after I quit drinking. Dancing and learning about traditional
practices provided a base for my sobriety. Although I went to powwows
when I was a young boy, becoming a dancer and dancing in the arena
brought an entirely different perspective of dance. As an artist
and writer, I am an observer. Dance allowed me to observe art in
motion.
AC: Your father, Patrick, was a renowned visual artist
and illustrator. Your siblings, your wife and children also are
artists working in various media, from fashion design to beadwork
and painting. Can you talk a little about the impact that art has
had on your family?
RD: Art in our family has taken many shapes and forms. Both
my brother and I are fine artists. We inherited some very creative
genes from our father. Hes been a strong influence in our
work. However, weve developed our own styles and aesthetics.
We continue his tradition in art but in our own ways. Our sister
is a great photographer whose works have been in exhibitions. My
sons are engaged in artistic endeavors one in music as a
powwow singer and the other as a fashion designer who has his own
line of clothing. My wife is an excellent seamstress who, over the
years, has made our dance clothing. Art has undoubtedly given us
a facet of identity and connection as a family.
AC: Where do you go from here?
RD: I dont see myself as engaging in art full time.
Im 72 years old and will turn 73 in November. And, as a cancer
survivor, I live a cautiously optimistic life. My next goal is to
write my book. Ill work on that in the fall and winter. Depending
on the interest, I may put together a book on my cancer experiences.
I have a cancer blog and have given thought to compiling my blog
entries into a book format. But art is still very much on my mind.
So, Im planning another series but not until late next year.
As a cancer survivor, I cant set goals that extend too far
into the future. Writing a book and doing art is attainable. Of
course, I realize that I may not reach those goals. And, thats
fine. If I get no further than Reemergence, then Ill have
accomplished the goal of sharing my visions. Life doesnt get
any better than that.
Art Coulson, Cherokee, is a Twin Cities writer. He is the author
of The Creators Game (Minnesota Historical Society Press,
2013), illustrated by Robert DesJarlait; Unstoppable: How Jim Thorpe
and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team Defeated Army (Capstone,
2018); and The Reluctant Storyteller (Benchmark Education, 2019).
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