b'ART MEETS COMMERCEAlex Janvier surrounded by his extraordinary artistic creations which today command significant sumsto share his work. In 1967, for example,thebrush. WorksduringthisperiodTsa Ke Ke (Iron Foot Place) circular tile he ventured out of the classroom to joinincludedmuralsforEdmontonsmosaic. Along the way, his work earned Indigenous artists Norval MorrisseauMuttart Conservatory and the Countyhim the National Aboriginal Lifetime and Bill Reid in creating a mural for theofStrathconaBuilding,aswellasAchievementAward(2002),the Indians of Canada Pavilion at Expo 67paintings for exhibits across Canada,Order of Canada (2007), the Governor in Montral.including his Land, Spirit, Power showGenerals Award in Visual and Media at the National Gallery of Canada inArts(2008),andtheAlbertaOrder In 1971, Janvier knew it was time toOttawa in 1992 and Thunder Bay ArtofExcellence(2010),amongother commit fully to his craft. He formed aGallerysThe Art of Alex Janvier: Hisaccolades and honourary degrees. partnership with his wife Jacqueline,First Thirty Years, a one-person travelling set up a dedicated studio, and got toexhibitionin1993.SoonhisdeeplyFORMING THE PNIAIwork. It was a leap of faith for the youngresonantworks caught the attention ofTalentandpassiondidnotinsulate painter and one he pursued by puttingartists and art lovers beyond Canada,Janvieragainstprejudices.Atthe the process of making art ahead ofearning him attention in the U.S. and atoutsetofhiscareer,hewasnot making a sale. international shows.invited to share his works in galleries asmanystillviewedIndigenousart Even when my dad decided to be full- Itwasin1993thatJanvierwasas crafts unworthy of hanging next time as an artist, I dont know when theycommissionedtopainttheto the creations of mainstream artists. talked about business, Jill remembers.aforementionedMorning Star on theAlthough he had a four-year formal They always put art first. They werentdome of the Haida Gwaii Salon in theartdegree,hewasntalwaystaken interested in making a bunch of printsCanadianMuseumofHistory.Whileseriously.Hewasoneofthefirst and making money in that way, and Ihe had developed quite a respectedIndigenous people to get an art degree, think that upped the integrity of theirname for himself in the art world in theand he faced challenges to get there, artwork over time.years prior to this opportunity, the piecesays Tyesha.representedasignificantmilestone. This integrity still led to a financiallyMorning Star was a big step for Alex,Itwasthisearlycareerbarrierthat viablebusinessmodelthatallowedsays Jill. It proved what he could do oninspired Janvier to form Professional Janvier to prosper from his art. Today,a large, creative scale without flinchingNative Indian Artists Inc. (PNIAI), an hislargerpiecessellfortensofan eye. It just showed how talentedIndigenousartistscollectiveand thousandsofdollars,andsomeofhe was, and that he could take on anyculturaladvocacygroup.Setupin hisimagesarewidelyavailableonchallenge like that.1973,thegroupwascomprisedof everything from purses to mugs. Mostseven First Nations artists (a.k.a. the importantly, he forged a path for otherThefollowingdecadeswouldseeIndigenous Group of Seven), including Indigenous artists to properly valueJanvier continue to share his talent withJackson Beardy, Eddy Cobiness, Norval their own creations as they built upthe world in high-profile venues such asMorrisseau,DaphneOdjig,Carl their own artistic careers.the Art Gallery of Alberta, the NationalRay,Joseph Sanchez, and of course, GalleryofCanada,andtheWinterAlexJanvier.Althoughhewasnot ThefollowingyearswouldseeGarden of the Rogers Place arena inanofficialmember,BillReidwasa JanvierspendalotoftimebehindEdmonton,hometohisfamousTsawelcome partner. 94A CCIB PUBLICATIONFall 2024'