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visual arts | by Peggy Stortz Echoes of Our Ancestors: Interpreting Legends Every c u l t u r e has its l e g e n d s - s t o r i e s that teach us l e s s o n s and i l l u m i n a t e the human c o n d i t i o n . T h o s e l e g e n d s are kept a l i v e in many ways, t h r o u g h t e l l i n g , t h r o u g h w r i t i n g , through p e r f o r m a n c e , and t h r o u g h v i s u a l a r t s . This f a l l , the C i t y S c a p e C o m m u n i t y A r t Space is m o u n t i n g an i n n o v a t i v e exhibition i n c l u d i n g new p a i n t i n g s f r o m D a v i d Neel a l o n g w i t h s e v e r a l works by North V a n c o u v e r s c h o o l c h i l d r e n . Neel, who has excelled in several artistic media, took up painting two years ago. For subject matter, he drew from legends of the Kwagiutl Nation, his roots. "The legends have been an interest of mine for years. Legends are so fundamental to understanding culture and the teachings. They are wonderful in their timelessness. They are just as relevant today as they were years ago because they tell the stories of human beings. Maybe canoes have become automobiles yet there are still the same lessons. Human nature is human nature." It took Neel a long time to track down some of the legervfs. This was all the more reason for him to interpret them on canvas. "Paint on canvas is a wonderful medium for storytelling, for conveying ideas." Eventually Neel plans to write down the stories, illustrating them with his fascinating paintings · vivid images that are a blend of ancient artistic traditions and the artist's bold new interpretation. "Nowadays a lot of native artists feel constrained by what we call 'tradition'. I think what we have today is a basic misunderstanding of tradition. My idea is that tradition is not a set of limitations to hold you back but a foundation to build upon. I think we've lost control of our culture to a degree. People from outside of our culture are studying us and writing about us and publishing about who we are and what we come from and what we have done and the basis of our culture. It's influenced the people of the culture itself. We have lost the idea that tradition is a foundation to build upon. September | October