This week is your last chance to view the exhibit Benjamin Chee Chee: Life and Legacy at the Art Gallery of Sudbury, which is available for viewing until Sunday, Nov. 18.
Gallery staff will lead an in-depth tour of the exhibit at noon Friday, Nov. 16.
For the past eight weeks, the Art Gallery of Sudbury has featured iconic paintings and abstract pieces by Chee Chee.
Chee Chee was an artist from Temegami First Nation who lived from 1944 to 1977, first exhibiting his work within the Nicholas Art Gallery of Ottawa in 1973.
What makes the exhibit so unique is how audiences are able to experience the artwork while also getting to know the artist himself. Each piece within the exhibit includes a personal perspective from one of Chee Chee's closest friends, communicating motivations and inspirations of the young artist.
One example of this commentary is that of Ernie Bies, who wrote:
“Ben spent Christmas at Bear Island and came back to Ottawa on January 4, 1977. He called me from his room at the Alexandra Hotel wanting to show me his newest project. With great excitement, he unwrapped his latest prototype drawing for a new edition of silk screened prints which he called Family Series. Completing them at Bear Island, he carried them as he rode on the back of a ski-doo to Temagami.”
The gallery is located at 251 John St. and is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 12-5 p.m.
For more information on the gallery or the Benjamin Chee Chee: Life and Legacy exhibit, visit www.artsudbury.org, or call 705-675-4871.
