Fred Hulbert's art work is designed to reflect Kwikwetlem First Nation life from past to present. Viewing them personally, Hulbert's crafts and images mirror that precisely.
A self-taught carver, sketcher and painter, the multi-faceted Hulbert, 49, said his creative inspiration comes from his days long passed situated deep in the B.C. wilderness, listening to stories and anecdotes from older, more sage aboriginals, some of whom were artists themselves.
"In the mountains, I started listening to traditional stories that went on and on and... it spurred my inspiration," says Hulbert, whose exhibit called 'Kwikwetlem: Red Fish up the River' opens Friday and runs through Nov. 5 in the art gallery at Evergreen Cultural Centre. "So I would pick up a pencil and sketch. My enthusiasm [as a carver] comes from always being on the rivers and finding various kinds of wood I could work with."
Hulbert's show is the first public exhibition of its kind and has been in the works for more than a year, focusing on the Coast Salish tribe at Kwikwetlem, which features two reserves near the mouth of the Coquitlam River where it flows into the Fraser, totalling more than 200 acres of land.
"I try to inspire the youth of our nations, starting by getting them to use their imaginations and captivate their minds," says Hulbert, who always enjoyed art as a child but only took a serious interest in it 18 years ago. "When I was younger, I wasn't too much into hanging with the other kids. [Art] was a good outlet for me. It kept me feeling comfortable."
Hulbert believes everybody has the general ability to demonstrate their own wonderful works simply by being imaginative and creative.
"There's an artist in everyone of us," he says. "It's up to us to discover it and utilize it."
The exhibition also documents the history of the Kwikwetlem First Nation and Coast Salish peoples through archival materials, photographs and artifacts on loan from local museums and heritage societies. Specifically, Hulbert's work focuses on the role of salmon in Coast Salish cultural practices, traditional and contemporary fishing and the protection of salmon habitats.
With an emphasis on sustainability and environmental protection, the exhibition documents the Kwikwetlem Salmon Restoration Program's successful return of sockeye salmon to Coquitlam Lake after 100 years and includes the video 'Return of the Salmon.'
The event also showcases the band's other initiatives to renew their cultural practices, including the Canoe Building Project, with Sandra Bonner of Bear Images Production appointed to document it.
The official opening celebration for the exhibition goes Sunday from 4 to 6 p.m., when viewers can meet some of the artists and band members involved.
Also, Evergreen's art gallery is hosting Culture Days from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, with special activities planned as part of a cross-country celebration of arts and culture. A complete schedule of events can be found at www.evergreenculturalcentre.ca.
