WINTERCOUNT AND OTHER FREEDOM SONGS

In the fall of 2019, interdisciplinary artist Cheryl L’Hirondelle, traveled from Toronto to Prince Albert to create Wintercount and Other Freedom Songs, an exhibition in the Foyer Gallery of the Mann Art Gallery. Upon entering the gallery, Cheryl’s work greeted visitors with a video filmed at Regina's Fieldhouse Sportsplex and featuring close up views of people listening to “Wintercount,” a song sung by young men from the Paul Dojack Youth Centre. Across from the video was a listening station where guests could hear several songs written by Cheryl and guest musicians with collaborators in corrections. Lyrics and artwork by participants scrolled through on a computer so the viewer could read and sometimes sing along with the song. This presentation piggybacked on the Axenet’i Tth’al exhibition, acting as a teaser for the Why the Caged Bird Sings—Immersive Engagements exhibition which later took place at the Mann Art Gallery in the fall of 2020. 

The reception for the Wintercount and Other Freedom Songs and Axenet’i Tth’al exhibitions, on Thursday, September 12, was a lovely event. Taking full advantage of the centre’s beautiful architecture, guests spoke, and musicians sang in the high, glass-walled atrium of E. A. Rawlinson Centre that houses the Mann Art Gallery. As the sun set over the river, Elder Rodrick Apesis drummed and spoke about how vital it is to share culture with the young people. Cheryl was then joined by guest musician Joseph Naytowhow as she shared the songs she had co-written with inmates in corrections over the past years.

Through a partnership with Indigenous Peoples’ Artists Collective (IPAC), the event also included a set by Tristan Durocher, the young Fiddle player known for both his artistic prowess and advocacy. Tristan spoke with raw passion about his experiences as a young Northern Indigenous fiddle player and the withering assumptions that he’s had to hold himself up against to make his way. The evening had a warm, folksy feel with many boisterous responses from the audience as people spoke and performed. There was a great sense of celebration for the heart-rending work that the artists do in their communities and for the importance of the purpose behind it.