USask alumna curates latest exhibition at College Art Galleries

By Shannon Boklaschuk

It’s a homecoming for Lindsey V. Sharman.

The University of Saskatchewan (USask) alumna, who earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 2007 through the College of Arts and Science, currently works as a curator at the Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton. However, she’s recently been back in Saskatoon visiting her alma mater while curating an exhibition for the College Art Galleries on the USask campus.

The retrospective—entitled The Writing on the Wall: The Work of Joane Cardinal-Schubert—opens on Feb. 1 at the College Art Galleries. An opening reception will be held from 4 – 6 pm on Feb. 1. The show will remain on display until April 27.

In an interview, Sharman said she was pleased to curate her first show for the College Art Galleries and to be back at USask.

“It feels very special to be here, because it was here—in the art history department—that I learned about Joane,” she said.

Joane Cardinal-Schubert (1942-2009) was an artist, activist, writer, poet, curator and mentor. Circulated by the Nickle Galleries, The Writing on the Wall: The Work of Joane Cardinal-Schubert is an examination of the artist’s work that includes pivotal pieces in painting, drawing, printmaking, collage, ceramic and installation. Although Cardinal-Schubert never claimed to be political and rejected a feminist label, her work recognizes the personal lived life of an Indigenous Canadian woman is political.

“For me, personally, learning about her work was also the process of learning about residential schools and Canada’s colonial history,” said Sharman.

Cardinal-Schubert studied printmaking at the Alberta College of Art and Design, the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary and received an honorary doctorate in 2003 from the University of Calgary. She is the late sister of renowned architect Douglas Cardinal, who designed the Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre on the USask campus.

When asked about Cardinal-Schubert’s artworks, Sharman noted that “they’re all about stories and history.”

“Each piece oftentimes is a real reaction to what was going on, in primarily Canada, when she created them,” said Sharman. “If you sort of follow the dates and the titles and the works, then you can kind of put together what was going on in Canada at that time when she was creating them.”

Sharman, who earned an honours degree in art history at USask, said she was pleased to have had the opportunity to learn from Professor Lynne Bell and from USask alumna and influential interdisciplinary artist Lori Blondeau during her undergraduate studies.

“It really opened my eyes to so many things and really set me up for all of my success that I’ve had,” said Sharman.

“I did a master’s in Switzerland and also studied at the University of Essex and worked for the University of Calgary, and now work for the Art Gallery of Alberta. (I) definitely wouldn’t have been able to achieve those things had it not been for the kind of quality of instruction that I got from those amazing people that I learned from when I was here (at USask).”

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