The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

--_-- "A Family Tradition for 126 Years " PORT PERRY STAR - Wednesday, October 14, 1992 - 21 Native artist making a name for herself By Scott Anderson Port Perry Star When Maxine Noel left home at the age of 12 she vowed to "make a major difference." Now, after many years she is quietly making a name for herselfin the art world. Maxine Noel, an artist from Uxbridge, is quietly making a | Expresses woman's side of native art the costumes, is receiving rave reviews across the country. "In the Land of Spirits", which will be playing at the O'Keefe Centre in Toronto on October 14 and 15, is a contem- porary native ballet based on an Ojibway legend of the first wom- name for herself in the world of art since deciding to become a professional artist more than 10 years ago. Her latest project has her designing costumes for a native Canadian play set for the stage at O'Keefe Centre. See story for details. Although it was a little more than 11 years ago that she de- cided to dedicate her life to art, she has already achieved some degree of success. She has seen her paintings and other pieces of her visual art on display in a number of galleries around the world, as well as on the stage. In fact, it is the stage thats dominating her life at the present time. A contemporary ballet for which she designed an who comes to earth. Ideas for the designs of the costumes should have come easy for Ms. Noel, who is a Sioux Indian from the American Mid- west. But despite the basic knowledge of the traditional costumes she said it was still hard work in arriving at a fin- ished product. A number of things had to be taken into consideration includ- ing the story, the choreogra- pher, the lighting and the danc- er. All at Guaranteed Low Prices UNITED CARPET. Largest Carpet Selection In Scugog Township and a member of the largest carpet buying group in Canada. FAMOUS Levolor- BLINDS VERTICALS * VENETIANS PLEATED SHADES HOMESTEAD by Ballard & Carnegie . HWY. 7A EAST - PORT PERRY 985-2451 or 985-2157 For Trimming, Pruning & Professional Removal of Branches & Trees +Stump Removal *Tree Removal & Pruning *Hedge & Shrub Trimming FREE APPRAISALS OF YOUR TREES & SHRUE a DEVI RENE B.Sc. (Agr.) ~. "It's such a huge endeavor," she said. And because the ballet was partially choreographed by Rob- ert Desrosiers, whose dances are known for their flowing ac- tions, the costumes had to allow free movement as well. Although this is her first ex- posure to the theatre world, if she hasit her way itwon'tbe her last. "I'd love to do it again," she said. "It's an exciting, exciting world." She says she was particularly excited by the instant response she got from the crowd. "The response to what you made is instant," she said. "Be- ing an artist you have to paint for years before people decide whether they like it or not." Despite her relative newness in the art world, Ms. Noel says she has painted for many years. "I've always painted since I was a young child, but 1 never said anything in my painting that I thought people wanted to hear." It took some encouragement from her friend Tomson High- way to convince her to try her hand professionally. Since then she hasn't looked back. Through her art Ms. Noel at- tempts to express the women's side of native art. Although she Ph You don't have pat i AE tob in the 'big leagues" to play Fact is, many of Canada's best dairy operations -- small and large -- produce excellent milk stresses that she is not doing this in a feminist way, she is nonetheless hoping to break into the native art world which she says is heavily male domi- nated. Her art depicts the role of the native woman in the role of life. She says a native woman can be strong and feminine and spiri- tual. "I feel these are all spiritual aspects that make a total wom- an," she said. Ms. Noel says she gets her in- spiration fromlife and the inter- action of life. "I feel regardless what your religious beliefs are, they are all one in the same. It's just differ- entinterpretations." Ms. Noel received a quick in- troduction into life. After being raised on a reserve in South- western Manitoba, she left the reserve at the age of 12 to attend a boarding school following the death of her grandmother. She has not been back since. "I just never had a desire to go back." After receiving some training as a legal secretary in rural Manitoba, she headed for the big city of Toronto to one of the largest legal firms in the coun- try. It was from there that she made the cross over iato the art field. a > is Mig 4 wis . May, > Wie il Se a SB Eu ¢ & : and lots of it. And they do it with Shur-Gain. These dairymen know that Shur-Gain leads the way in nutrition and health. They know Shur-Gain has the products and services to meet their special needs. To boost yield. To improve quality. To make their operations the very best they can be. You don't have to be in the big leagues to play with a winning team. You just have to be the best. And in dairy, the best team is Shur-Gain and you. Partners in Performance. ~ Shur-Gain Products are available at the following dealers ~~ - SPENCER'S FEED SERVICE LTD. Greenbank, Ontario H & M WRIGHT FEED CO. LTD. 14 Scugog St. Blackstock 986-4201 PORT PERRY FEEDS LTD. 40 Vanedward Dr., Port Perry 985-7363 Cassels St. E., Brooklin 655-4804 with 2 winning team Although she says it has been a somewhat easy transition, she is still amazed by the impact that her art has on people. "The impact that people get scares me," she says. She is also overwhelmed by the international acclaim she is receiving. She has received let- ters from as far away as Japan, Russia and Great Britain. One letter that sticks in her mind is a person who claimed her art changed the letter writ- er's life. "It's interesting what people feel. There's so many different ways people can interpret things." Throughout her success, Ms. Noel has chosen to conduct her business without the help of government agencies. Unlike other native artists, she has chosen not to commit herself to the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. As a result, she does not receive scholar- ships or grants. Ms. Noel says she's not "a mainline native artist," as she's chosen to walk herown route. She says she was criticized by her peers at first, but now is be- ginning to be accepted. "It's not hurting anybody else but myself," she said. "This is the way as a human being I've chosen to live. It's the way I want to live as a human being." 985-3371 H.H. GOODE & SON 1987 LTD. Uxbridge, Ontario 852-3355