Review of Me Artsy by Drew Hayden Taylor

Me Artsy

Me Artsy is a compilation of fourteen essays from various contemporary First Nations artists who create work in a number of different fields. The fields the artists work in include: films, gourmet cuisine, blues music, fashion design, acting, writing, painting, traditional drumming and storytelling. Although the book is focused on First Nations artists, creative people from any background can appreciate and relate to many aspects of the stories in this book.

It was fascinating to read about the experiences of the artists and how the places they grew up in and the opportunities they had shaped their experiences as artists. The backgrounds of the people varied from growing up in Northern Canada where life was still lived very close to the land versus the experiences of some of the other artists in this book living in urban areas such as Toronto and New York. This book is categorized as First Nations non-fiction but it is also an enjoyable read for anyone who possesses a keen interest in arts and culture.

The editor Drew Hayden Taylor wanted to explore and deconstruct the Aboriginal artistic spirit as it is expressed through both traditional and contemporary Indigenous North American art forms. One of the more traditional art forms covered was First Nations drumming, the essay written by a man who went from not knowing much about drumming and being shy about asking other people to eventually becoming a very experienced drummer and drum maker and performing in front of an audience of more than a million that included Pope John Paul II.

Among the more contemporary artist essays was a fashion designer who began sewing at a young age and launched a career from it after winning a contest. She sews garments in a mix of contemporary and traditional forms but also dreams of eventually creating a dress with a more ambitious political statement, a dress made out of feathers in which each feather represents one of the numerous missing or murdered Aboriginal women in Canada.

The final essay in the book was not so much an essay as a mini graphic novel written and drawn by a contemporary manga artist. Manga is generally considered a Japanese art form so it was interesting to see art forms from different continents and cultures combined to create something new. The various essays were successful in conveying how the cultural background of these artists influenced the creation of their art.

Reviewed by Georgette Swenson

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