Violet Gatensby

“a kaa dàk tuxditáan”
English way means it has come out of the darkness of the Forrest and into the open for me. I remember The little sister to “forget me not”

Acrylic on wood panel

2′ x 3′ 

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Violet Gatensby is an inland Tlingit artist from the Carcross/Tagish First Nation. Born into a large family, she spent much of her childhood on the land. She explored art as a youth and was supported by community mentors like Keith Wolfe Smarch and Claudia Mcphee, and later by Dempsey Bob, Ken McNeil, Stan Bevan and Arlene Ness. Violet went to art school in BC and she holds an advanced diploma from the First Nations Fine Arts program at the Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art. A versatile and talented artist, Violet’s preferred medium is wood but she also enjoys metalwork, designing and painting. She has completed an astounding number of major commissions for a young artist, including a carved panel for the Yukon Supreme Court, public utility artworks for the City of Whitehorse, and a dugout canoe apprenticeship with Wayne Price. Violet has been deeply influenced by the values of her parents and grandparents – stay connected to the land, have an open mind, be teachable – and she brings these influences into her art and the contemporary world. An articulate leader and community force, Violet is one of the North’s rising talents.
Violet’s work was recently installed at the Downie Wenjack Foundation.

Artwork:
This piece is a depiction of what it feels like to be indigenous. To come from a rich history of so much knowledge and beauty.
The cracks running throughout the piece are to represent the damages of residential school. The pain, shame, guilt and grief every one of us Carry’s with us. The cracks are the addictions that come with the grief. Even with all these things that cause us damage, we need to remember and remind ourselves that we come from a beautiful culture. One filled with love and knowledge. One that’s waiting patiently for us to remember that. Regardless of the cracks that are a permanent scare.
The forget me not flowers are to honour the children that never made it home from residential school. The ones Who’ve been lost in our grief. The ones we will never forget.
“a kaa dàk tuxditáan” is similar to forget me not to display the relationship between siblings who go through similar experiences but how we carry things differently. Just because there’s similarities in what’s hurting you doesn’t mean it hurts the same for everyone.

There’s no one right way to heal but remember that we are all doing are best. We all matter. Always have and always will.