Project by Jordan Small and Aryn Toombs
Contributions by Brandon Wilson and Tracy Luc-German
As June 21 marks National Indigenous Peoples Day, artists of the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, also known as Mini’Thni, a reserve between Canmore and Calgary on Treaty 7 territory, are featured this week.
Three bands populate the Stoney Nakoda community – Bearspaw, Chiniki and Wesley – and together they have formed a long and rich culture known for song and dance.
The Rocky Mountain Outlook celebrates some of Nakoda’s up and comers who are forging forward and making positive change through art, advocacy and leadership.
Andrew Holloway
Chiniki First Nation, artist, change maker“I want to share my skills and my culture with the whole world. I want everybody to see what I do.” – Andrew Holloway
Twisting and bending metal is something Andrew Holloway has gotten pretty damn excellent at.
When the creative Nakoda artist manipulates the substance to create an imaginative piece – perhaps even an everlasting impression – Holloway hopes his work can one day serve as a preserver for a greater purpose.
“I’m trying to create for how many years my culture will still be here; my people will still be remembered” (through my artwork), said Holloway.
The metal man has explored many mediums over his young life, though Holloway’s passion to work with and forge bronze, copper, silver and brass, among others, started while studying at Calgary’s Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD).
The perfectionist in him strives to fabricate liveliness in his jewelry and Indigenous regalia – something you can reach out and feel, every intentionally placed bump and ridge, with the fingertips.
“What I find in metal it is something that can’t be destroyed easily,” Holloway said. “That’s why I love it, it can survive almost anything, it can go on forever, and that’s how I want to connect it with my culture.”
When Holloway’s creative mind is working at full speed, he’s fascinated by the many ways one can work in his medium, such as staining different colours into a new piece.
The artist finds many forms of inspiration when creating, from observing lush nature to being buried deep in his work at his home studio, and even from his mother, whose teepee he painted the design for ahead of the Calgary Stampede in 2013. In fact, her request inspired Holloway to push further in his studies.
“She had my grandpa’s teepee for 30 or 40 years and my mother wanted to make a new one. She asked me if I could make a replica of the whole thing. I was like, ‘Yeah, I can, I can do it.’ ”
The teepee, which stands about 30 feet tall, was laid down on the gymnasium floor in Morley and for an entire month Holloway immersed himself in the project.
“It was an interesting month, it was fun,” he said. “I found myself enjoying what I do and after that, I applied for ACAD in fall and continued on from there.”
Holloway carried on the legacy for his family, and hopes one day to see his work on display for a larger audience.
“One day, I’m hoping to be recognized nationally as an artist; that’s where I’m going with this,” he said.
Holloway’s work can be found on Facebook and Instagram at Yethka Metal Works, and at Canmore’s Lifeways art gallery.
He and his work will also be at the Calgary Stampede’s Indian Village.
