Mary Green
Child Vision
Binoojiin Naabmdam
ALL IMAGES © THE ARTIST. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Introduction
Mary Elizabeth Green is one of Northern Ontario’s most significant senior artists and art educators. Living and working in Sudbury since the early 1980s, Mary Green is a multidisciplinary artist, whose oeuvre includes photography, painting, sculptural and earth works.
Baakaajimong
Mary Elizabeth Green aawi bezhig owi Giiwedinong Ontario memaanji ishpendaagozid niigaangaabiwid mezininiged miinwaa mazininigeng gikinomaaged. Adaad miinwaa nakiind zhiwe Sudbury ekowiiba 1980’s, Mary Green aawi owa nowonj dnowaa mazininiged, ado nakiiwin digosinon mazinaaziganag, ishosigagewin, mazininiiged miinwaa aki nankiiwinan.
Mary Green’s work explores themes surrounding the relationships between beholder and subject, the body in art, female sexuality, ecological and humanitarian politics and autobiographical experience. Within her use of film, Green experiments with modes of presentation, printing her photographs on a variety of media including silver print on fibre paper, coloured photographs on archival matt board, electro-print on chiffon as well as dye sublimation on georgette.
Mary Green ado nakiiwin gagwejitoon dibaajimowinan baamiskobideg biitwi e’waamdang miinwaa mezinibiigaasad, owi wiiyaw zhiwe mazininigeng, kwe minwenjige-zhayaawin, aki miinwaa bemaadizijig naadmaagaaziwaad inaaknigewin miinwaa dibaajimidizad owi ado bimaadiziwin. Zhiwe owi ado nikaazad mazinaaziganan, Green gagwejitoon newen nikiiyaa owi waabmdowewin, mazinaakozaad mazinchiginag nowonj dnowaa inaabjichigan e’digosingh zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan, e’tisad mazinchigan zhiwe zigakinigaazad bisagaak, waasamowin-mazinaakizigan zhiwe zhiibwaase wiigan miinwaa age tisigan gechitwaanaagwog zhiwe gidagiigin.
“I use whatever materials are needed for a particular expression. Experimentation is never for its own sake, the idea is to match concepts with medium.”
Mary Green 1
“Ndo nikaazan wegwen gwa nikaaziwinan menezing onji owi bezhigong ezhinaagwog. Gagwejitowin gaawii wiikaa aawizinon owi onjiwin, owi indendamowin aawon awii miigsemigag inendamowinan owi nikaaziwin.”
Mary Green 1
Biography
Born on Vancouver Island, Mary Green spent her formative years in the Ottawa Valley. In 1972, Green graduated from the University of Windsor with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and English and in 1978, she completed a second Bachelor of Arts Honours degree at the University of Ottawa in Fine Arts Studio. Moving to Northern Ontario in 1980, Mary Green would settle in Sudbury.
Ayaawid
Agii ndaadizi odi Vancouver Minis, Mary Green agii kogi epiich shkiniigid zhiwe Ottawa Valley. Apii 1972, Green agii giizhiitaa skoonwid odi Ishpi Gikinomaage Gamig odi Windsor ayaang owi Bachelor of Arts in Art History miinwaa English miinwaa apii 1978, agii giizhitoon ekwa niish Bachelor of Arts Honours degree odi Ishpi Gikinomaage Gamig odi Ottawa zhiwe Fine Arts Studio. Aandodegizid odi Giiwedinong Ontario apii 1980, Mary Green agii dazhiike zhiwe Sudbury.
Mary Green worked as an art teacher at local high schools for 19 years, while maintaining her independent art practice. From 1980 to 1983, she taught at Lockerby Composite School, and at St. Charles College from 1986 to 2002.
Mary Green agii nakii aawid mizinibiige gikinomaagekwe odi endinakiid ekwa nsing gikinomaage gamgoon minik 19 biboonan, epiichi nakiitang ado onjike maziniinige nankiiwin. Onji 1980 apiinish 1983, agii gikinomaage odi Lockerby Composite Gikinomaage Gamig, miinwaa odi St. Charles Gikinomaage Gamig onji 1986 apiinish 2002.
Portrait of the artist. Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green has exhibited in a large number of solo exhibitions across Ontario, particularly in the north, and participated in more than 60 group exhibitions across Canada. Notably, Mary Green was chosen to participate in Visual Arts Ontario’s exhibition, The New Spirit of Ontario in which her artwork Waiting was featured in the offices of Hilary Weston, the lieutenant governor of Ontario in 2001.
Mary Green agii waabmdowen zhiwe gichi niibna onjike waabmdowewinan aazhawi Ontario, memdage gwa zhiwe giiwedinong, miinwaa agii wiidokaaza zhiwe woshme 60 maamowi waabmdowewinan maziwe Gaanada. Memidage, Mary Green agii wenaamjigaaza awii wiidokaazad Visual Arts Ontario’s exhibition, The New Spirit of Ontario zhiwe ado mazininigan Baabiichigeng agii waabmdowem zhiwe newen nakii gamgoon owa Hilary Weston, owa aanke ogimaa maampii Ontario apii 2001.
Portrait of the artist. Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
In Sudbury, Mary Green is represented in the permanent collections of Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury, la Galerie du Nouvel-Ontario, Cambrian College, and Northern Ontario Provincial Buildings, and in other collections outside of Sudbury, WKP Kennedy Art Gallery (North Bay), Art Gallery of Algoma (Sault Ste Marie), the Canada Council Art Bank (Ottawa), and Banff Centre Archives.
Odi Sudbury, Mary Green waabmdowewin temigad zhiwe gagige maawanjichiganan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury, la Galerie du Nouvel-Ontario, Cambrian College, miinwaa Giiwedinong Ontario Kiins Wiigwaaman, miinwaa bkaan maadoniganan zaagiji-iing Sudbury, WKP Kennedy Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig (North Bay), Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig Art Gallery odi Algoma (Sault Ste Marie), owi Canada Council Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Bank (Ottawa), miinwaa Banff Centre Archives.
Mary Green, Child Vision 01, 1978-1979. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Binoojiin Naabmdam 01, 1978-1979. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
Mary Green, Child Vision 03, 1978-1979. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Binoojiin Naabmdam 03, 1978-1979. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
In 2014, Mary Green gifted the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury with a major retrospective selection of her art works comprising fifteen series, including 184 photographs, one book of photographs and one video work, completed from 1978 through 2005, in addition to paintings already in the collection.
Apii 2014, Mary Green agii miinaan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury owi gechi piitendaagwog shkwe-aang naabing wenaamjigan newen ado mazininiganan nakiiwinan e’digosingh midaaswi shi naanon aankesingh, e’digosingh 184 mazinaaziganag, bezhig zigakinige mazinigan gewe mazinaaziganag miinwaa bezhig mezinaatesingh, giizhichigaademigag onji 1978 apiinish 2005, miinwaa aanke ninda mazinbiiganan zhaazhigwa etemigag zhiwe maandonigewin.
“When I first started exploring photography, my subject matter was mainly children and their rituals from the viewpoint of a silent observer. As my life moved away from the focal point of the home, I became interested in doing very personal portraits of women I know.”
Mary Green 2
“Apii agii ntami maajitaa-aan nda-gikendamaa mazinaazigewin, ndo wenaabmdamaa ayaawong agii aawon memdage binojiinig miinwaa ado dodamowinan onji owi ezhi waabmdang owa bezaaniyaad ginowaabmijiged. Owi bimaadiziwin agii ani maajaamigag owi bezhig genwaabmdamaa owi endaa-aang, Ngii maajii misendaan owi zhichige-aan gichi dibendamowin mazinaaziganag gewe kwewog gekenimagig.”
Mary Green 2
Mary Green, Child Vision 05, 1978-1979. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Binoojiin Naabmdam 05, 1978-1979. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
Mary Green, Child Vision 17, 1978-1979. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Binoojiin Naabmdam 17, 1978-1979. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
Photographing Children
Children were the main subject matter for Green when she first started working with the medium of photography. Mary Green’s first solo exhibition, Child Visions, was displayed at Ottawa City Hall in 1979. The photographic series includes twenty-four silver print images. The children featured in the photos are shown at play at a birthday party, the beach, home and school. When adults appear in the series it is always in the capacity of a companion, not intruding on the children’s space. The compositions capture the children in natural motion, often blurred in their action. The photos exude happiness, full of lightness and lacking any influence of the adult concerns on their adolescent world views.
Mazinaaziwaad binoojiinig
Binoojiinig agii aawiwog wenaabmdang ayaawong owa Green apii agii oshki maajitaad owi ayaawong owi mazinaazigewin. Mary Green ado ntam onjike waabmdowewin, Binoojiin Naabmdam, agii waabandawem odi Ottawa Gimaawin Gamig apii 1979. Owi mazinaaziganag aankesingh digosinon niishtana shi niiwin Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakiziganag. Gewe binojiinig waabmdoweng zhiwe gewe mazinaaziganig naagiziwog daminowaad odi dibishkaang minwendaagozing, owi jiigbiig, endaang miinwaa gikinomaage gamig. Apii netaawijigig naagizowaad zhiwe owi aankesingh owi aawon pane owi ayaawiwaad wiijiyaajig, gaawii nashkwetaasiiwog owi binoojiinig enji dibendizad. Newen ozhisijigewinan debinigaade gewe binoojiinig zhiwe inin’bimaajiiwaad, niibna nching biigizawinaagwad zhiwe adodamowiniwaa. Newen mazinchiginan miigwemigad minwendamowin, moshkin naangan miinwaa bwaa temigag nashkwechigewin gewe netaawigijig zinagendamowiniwaa owi ado eshkiniigjig aki ezhi waabmdamiwaad.
Mary Green, Child Vision 08, 1978-1979. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Binoojiin Naabmdam 08, 1978-1979. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
Mary Green, Child Vision 09, 1978-1979. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Binoojiin Naabmdam 09, 1978-1979. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
Mary Green, Child Vision 10, 1978-1979. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Binoojiin Naabmdam 10, 1978-1979. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
Mary Green, Child Vision 11, 1978-1979. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Binoojiin Naabmdam 11, 1978-1979. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
In 1983, one of Mary Green’s more prolific series, Recent Photographs, was exhibited at Laurentian University Museum and Arts Centre (LUMAC). A collection of images taken between 1979 and 1992, the series features mostly portraits of women, occasionally accompanied by children. Of the nine images which include children in the series they are always seen as being accompanied by an adult. The role of companionship has been reversed.
Apii 1983, bezhig owi Mary Green ado memaanji niibna aankesingh, Noomya Mazinchiginag agii waabmdowem odi Laurentian Ishpi Gikinomaage Gamig Getewiin enji Zigakinigaadeg miinwaa Mazinibiiganan Wiigwaam (LUMAC). Owi maandonigan owi mazinaakoziginan biitwi 1979 miinwaa 1992, owi aankesingh waabmdowem memdage mazinaaziganag gewe kwewog, angwodinang wiijigowaad binoojiinig. Owi gewe zhaangswi mazinaakoziginag owi digoyaawaad binoojiinig zhiwe owi aankesingh gewe pane waabmjigaaziwog wiijiigowaad owa netaawigid. Owi naangizhiwen owi binzibiiwin agii aazhidesin.
The photographs are almost all titled after the person whose portrait is being taken. In the solo portraits the identities are made clear because of this nomenclature, however, in images such as the first in the series, Cecelia could refer to either the woman or to the child standing at her side to a general viewer.
Gewe mazinaaziganag gegaa gwa pane noziwinkaadenon skwaa owa bemaadizid ado mazinaaziwin daapinigaademiag. Zhiwe owi onjike bemaadizid mazinaazad newen ayaawiwaad weweni naagwod zaam maanda noziwinkaadeg, dash gwa, zhiwe mazinaaziganag dibishko owi ntam zhiwe naabidezingh, Cecelia adaa aawon owa wegwen owa kwe maage owi owa binoojiingh nyaaniibiwid shiwewiing owa gagwech genwaabmdang.
Mary Green, Recent Photographs 01 – Cecelia, 1982. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Noomya Mazinchiginag 01 – Cecelia, 1982. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
Mary Green, Recent Photographs 09 – Carol, 1982. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Noomya Mazinchiginag 09 – Carol, 1982. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
In the same way, the image Carol could refer to either the out of focus woman in the foreground, or to the young girl, who stands holding her chair up off the ground while a young boy laying on the lounge chair behind her.
Zhiwe naasaab nikiiyaa, owa mazinaazigan Carol ada aawon wegwen gwa gaawii mazhishi nyaagizisig kwe zhiwe niigaan, maage owi oshki kwezens, nyaaniibiwid majiginong ado pabiwin ishpiming owi aki megwaa owi shkiniigshens zhigishing zhiwe aazhide pabiwining shkwe-aang ayaad.
Mary Green, Recent Photographs 05 – Patsy, 1982. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Noomya Mazinchiginag 05 – Patsy, 1982. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
Mary Green, Recent Photographs 06 – Susan, 1982. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Noomya Mazinchiginag 06 – Susan, 1982. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
Both Patsy and Cindy show images of women, young mothers, cradling infant children in their arms, signifying both female life and motherhood.
Neniish gwa Patsy miinwaa Cindy waamdowemigad mazinshinwaad gewe kwewog, oshki giitziingejig, dikonaawaad oshki binoojiinsan zhiwe onikewaan, naagwod neniish gwa kwe bimaadiziwin miinwaa gitiziingewin.
Mary Green, Recent Photographs 13 – Cindy, 1983. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Noomya Mazinchiginag 13 – Cindy, 1983. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
Mary Green, Recent Photographs 12 – Diane, 1982. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Noomya Mazinchiginag 12 – Diane, 1982. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
Mary Green, Recent Photographs 15 – Untitled, 1982. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Noomya Mazinchiginag 15 – Noziwinkaadesinag, 1982. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
Mary Green, Auntie Diane, 1983. Oil chalk and pastel. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Nzigos Diane, 1983. Bimide miinwaa ozhibii-iganaak naangaazad. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
Mary Green’s series Nor Art is a collection of her award winning submissions to the Norart annual exhibition in 1981 and 1984. At the third annual juried Norart exhibition in 1981, Green submitted her black and white photograph, Diane. In the fifth year of the Norart exhibition in 1983, Green submitted an oil and chalk pastel work, Auntie Diane, for which she received an award for excellence. Although a change in medium, Green’s subject matter remains the same in Auntie Diane, where a grown woman is rendered on the right-hand side of the canvas, and a small child is painted at the centre of the image, stabilised in the woman’s arms.
Mary Green ado aankesingh Giiwedin Mazinchigan aawon owi maandonigan owi ado bakinaagewin naanaawed odi owi NorArt ensa nigo biboon waabmdowewin apii 1981 miinwaa 1984. Odi owi nisiwi ensa nigo biboon dibaakinigaademigag NorArt waabmdowewin apii 1981, Green agii niindaawen ado makadewisid miinwaa waabshkizid mazinaazigan, Diane. Apii owi naanon biboon owi NorArt waabmdowewin apii 1983, Green agii niindaawen owi bimide miinwaa ozhibii-iganaak nokaazad nakiiwin, Nzigos Diane, owi onji agaa debinang bakinaagewin onji nigajitowin. Aanowi owa aanjitood owi nikaaziwin, Green ado wenaabdang ayaawong naasaab aawon zhiwe Nzigos Diane, zhiwe owa netaawigid kwe ayaa zhiwe gagwek nikiiyaa owi asamoniigan, miinwaa owa e’gaachiinid binoojiin mazinibiigaaza naanaagwiwiing owi masinchigan, mashkoshingh zhiwe owa kwe Onikanan.
Mary Green, Nor Aart 03 – Maggie and Liisa, 1984. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Giiwedin Mazinchigan 03 – Maggie miinwaa Liisa, 1984. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
In the 1984 Norart exhibition, Green had two silverprint photographs accepted, Maggie and Liisa, and Gaetanne, she was again awarded for her works in the exhibition. More posed than the images in Child Vision, the portrait of Maggie and Liisa has some similarities to Green’s earlier works. The subject of the image is the two young girls, one of which is blurred as she moved when the photo was taken. The lighting remains soft, a constant in Green’s works.
Zhiwe owi 1984 NorArt waabmdowewin, Green agii ayaawon niish Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaaziganag daapinigaaziwaad, Maggie miinwaa Liisa, miinwaa Gaetanne, miinwaa agii miingaaza bakinaagewin onji ado nakiiwin zhiwe owi waabmdowewin. Woshme giizhiitaa gaabwiwin dash newen masinaaziganan zhiwe Binoojiin Naabmdam, owi mazinchigan owi Maggie miinwaa Liisa tenoon aanin naasaab ayaawong newen Green ado woshme wiiba nakiiwinan. Owi ayaawong owi mazinaazigan aawon niish kwezensag, bezhig gaawii mazhishi naagozisig zaam agii bemaajiid apii owa mazinaazigan agii daapinind. Owi epiichi waase-aag ayaa-aabi nokaandemigad, owi ayaabaji temigag owi Green nakiiwinan.
Sudbury Art Now, a group exhibition which occurred in the early months of 1997, included works by several artists, with the purpose of being the first of many exhibitions surveying the contemporary art scene in Sudbury, Ontario. Mary Green’s photographic series by the same name was created as a response to the questions posed by this locally-oriented exhibition. The photographic sequence shares images of children at play on August 17, 1996. The series of six photographs depicts children of a variety of ages playing with water balloons and water guns, toys familiar to those trying to stay cool on a hot summer day. The didactic text accompanying the exhibition describes the works:
Sudbury Mazinchiganag Nongo, owi maamowi waabmdowewin agaa temigag apii wiibaa giizisan owi 1997, agii digosinon nakiiwinan gewe gmaaning mezininigejig, owi onji aawong shkintam owi niibna waabmdowewinan dibaamjigaadeg owi nongo ezhiwebak mazininigewin temigag zhiwe Sudbury, Ontario. Mary Green ado mazinaazigewin naabidesinh owi naasaab inoziwin agii zhichigaademigad aawong nakwetamowin newen gagwedwewinan maagwengh maanda endinakiingh-waajii-emigag waabmdowewin. Owi mazinaazigewin aankesingh maadokiimigad mazinaaziganag gewe binoojiinig daminowaad apii Minominike-giizis 17, 1996. Owi aankesingh newen nigodwaaswi mazinchiginag naagoziwog binoojiinig nowonj epiitizijig daminowog owi nibiish ombaasijiganan miinwaa nibiish baashkiziginan, daminonon negidendamowaad gewe gagwejitowaad awii dikiziwaad owi gizhaatemigag niibin giizhigad. Owi waandamaagemigag zhibiigan digosing owi waabmdowewin dibaachigaadenon newen nakiiwinan:
Mary Green, Sudbury Art Now – Saturday, August 17th 1996 01, 1997. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Sudbury Mazinchiganag Nongo – Maanii-giizhigag, Manoominike-giizis 17 1996 01, 1997. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
Mary Green, Sudbury Art Now – Saturday, August 17th 1996 04, 1997. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Sudbury Mazinchiganag Nongo – Maanii-giizhigag, Manoominike-giizis 17 1996 04, 1997. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
Mary Green, Sudbury Art Now – Saturday, August 17th 1996 02, 1997. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Sudbury Mazinchiganag Nongo – Maanii-giizhigag, Manoominike-giizis 17 1996 02, 1997. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
Mary Green, Sudbury Art Now – Saturday, August 17th 1996 05, 1997. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Sudbury Mazinchiganag Nongo – Maanii-giizhigag, Manoominike-giizis 17 1996 05, 1997. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
Mary Green, Sudbury Art Now – Saturday, August 17th 1996 03, 1997. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Sudbury Mazinchiganag Nongo – Maanii-giizhigag, Manoominike-giizis 17 1996 03, 1997. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
Mary Green, Sudbury Art Now – Saturday, August 17th 1996 06, 1997. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Sudbury Mazinchiganag Nongo – Maanii-giizhigag, Manoominike-giizis 17 1996 06, 1997. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
“In her sequence of photographs, Mary Green situates the viewer clearly in the present tense. This sequence of images, taken during a summer afternoon, appear at first glance to be fairly innocent images of the games that children play, that is, the games of our children, in late twentieth century North America. However, an underlying malaise is evident in these images. Maybe the games being played make us uncomfortable… or is it the hint of an underlying violence that adolescents learn from the games of war that are so prevalent on our TV screens these days? We look at these adolescents, with their huge water guns, and we can see that they have appropriated the violent poses of contemporary culture. Mary Green reinforces our discomfort by her slightly skewed framing of some images.”3
“Zhiwe owi aankeshinowaad gewe mazinchiginag, Mary Green zhishimaan owa genwaabmjiged mazhisha gwa zhaazhigwa agaa bimisemigag. Maanda aankesingh newen mazinaaziganag, agaa daapinigaazijig owi niibing shkwaanaakweg, zhinaagoziwog ntam ginowaabmindwaa owi gagweji biiniwi mazinaaziganan newen daminowinan gewe binoojiinig e’daminowaad, owi dash, newen daminowinan gdo binoojiinaanig, zhiwe ekwaasemigag niishtana nigodwaag biboonan Mikinaakominis. Dash wiigwa, owi gegeti maanaaji aawong naagwod zhiwe ninda mazinaaziganag. Gnimaa age newen daminowinan e’daminowaad maanaajizhayaamigadoon… maage ana aawon makowendamigowin owi nyaagsinag maji doodamowin gewe eshkiniigijig gikendamowaad onji newen daminowinan owi miigaadiwin newen gechi baatiinag zhiwe mazinaatesijiginon nongo giizhigad? Gdo ginowaabmaanaanig gwanda eshkiniigjig, majiginamwaad gichi nibiish baashkiziginan, miinwaa gdo waabmdaanaa agii daapinaanaa-aan newen maji doodamowin zhigaabwiwin owi nongo giizhigag ezhiwebak. Mary Green getinaamitoon gdo maanaaji zhayaawin owi ado bangii giiwaajinaagwog zhisijigan newen aanin mazinaaziganag.”3
Mary Green’s Water series is made up of silver print photographs from a variety of locations associated with bodies of water, including North Bay, Renfrew, Gabriola and Whitefish. In these images, people of all ages can be seen interacting with water. Children take the focal point in the images from Renfrew appearing playing on a floating dock under the watchful eye of a father, coming out of the water after a swim, and sitting on a log at a nearby campsite. In her own poetic musings and artists statements, Green frequently refers to water as an influential source and the reason behind her water-related images.
Mary Green ado Nibiish aankesingh zhichigaade owi zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaaziganag onji nowonj nigoji digowendaagwog newen nibiin, e’digosingh North Bay, Renfrew, Gabriola miinwaa Whitefish. Zhinda ninda mazinaaziganan, bemaadizijig nowonj epiitizijig adaa waabmjigaaziwog wiijiyaawod owi nibiish. Binoojiinig dapinaanaa-aa owi naanaagwiwiing zhiwe newen mazinaaziganan onji Renfrew daminowaad agijiwiing owi e’detebgwindeg aazhigan owi kowaabmigwaad owa oosiged, abi onjibaawaad nibiishing shkwaa bigiziwaad, miinwaa nibadibiwaad zhiwe mitigoong zhiwe beshaa gabeshiiwiigwaam. Owi ado dibendang dikobiigaadeg zhibiigan indendamowin miinwaa mazininiged kidiwinan, Green nitaa dibaataan owi nibiish aawong medookidaagemigag miinwaa onji owi ado nibiish nowendaagwog mazinaaziganan.
“We are all influenced, from the blood in our wombs moving in time with the oceans to the rain that falls on our gardens. Where water collects, it attracts; all water is on its journey to the sea or to be consumed in the trying.”
Mary Green 4
Mary Green, Water 04 – Renfrew 1, 1999. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Nibiish 04 – Renfrew 1, 1999. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
“Gdo kina madookidaaginaa, onji owi miskwi zhiwe gdo binoojiinh agaa abid bimaajiimigag nasaab apii newen gichi gimiing apiinish owi gmiwan e’migising gdo gitigaaninaanin. Zhiwe owi nibiish maandoseg, wiikibijigemigad; kina nibiish ani zhaamigad odi gichi nibiing maage awii nikaazang apii ani gajitoong.”
Mary Green 4
Mary Green, Water 06 – Renfrew 3, 1999. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Nibiish 06 – Renfrew 3, 1999. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
Mary Green, Water 07 – Renfrew 4, 1999. Silver print on fibre paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Nibiish 07 – Renfrew 4, 1999. Zhoonyaa-aandeg mazinaakizigan zhiwe mazinigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
Works from the Water series were featured in Reformation/Reconstruction, the 25th Anniversary Exhibition which began at the White Water Gallery in North Bay, Ontario, in 2002.
Nakiiwinan onji owi Nibiish aankesing agii waabmdowem zhiwe Aanjisidoongh/Aanjizhitoongh, the 25th Minaajichigewin Waabmdowewin aga onji maajitaamigag odi owi White Water Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi North Bay, Ontario, apii 2002.
Curated by Rob O’Flanagan in 2001, Off 17 on the Verge featured artworks from artists from Sudbury, Elliot Lake, North Bay, Manitoulin, Sault Ste. Marie and many other locations in Northern Ontario combined in such a way as to resemble a “family album or a trip through the attic.”5 Green’s electro-printed images on chiffon were hung against black backdrops to bring out the detail in the images they “move and shimmer with the air. The effect is three dimensional and haunting.”6
Nyaagidowendang owa Rob O’Flanagan apii 2001, Gwaasing 17 zhiwe Aami waabmdowemigad mazininigewinan onji mezinibiigejig onji Sudbury, Elliot Lake, North Bay, Manitoulin, Sault Ste. Marie miinwaa niibna aanin etemigag zhiwe Giiwedinong Ontario digozijigaadeg owi nikiiyaa awii zhinaagwog owi “inoodewiziwin mazinchiginag mazinigan maage bibaayaang biinji owi ishpimisagong.”5 Green ado waasamowin-mazinaakizigan zhiwe zhiibwaase wiigan agii gojigaaziwog newen makedewaag aasimawiing awii naagwog owi egaajigin zhiwe newen mazinaaziganan age “bimaajimigag miinwaa waaseseg owi nodin. Owi ezhinaagwog aawon niswi inigokwog miinwaa amanisowendaagwod.”6
Mary Green, Off 17 on the Verge: Traces 1, 2000. Electro-print on chiffon. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Gwaasing 17 zhiwe Aami: Gikinwaajichiginon 1, 2000. Waasamowin-mazinaakizigan zhiwe zhiibwaase wiigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
Mary Green, Off 17 on the Verge: Traces 2, 2000. Electro-print on chiffon. Collection of the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
Mary Green, Gwaasing 17 zhiwe Aami: Gikinwaajichiginon 2, 2000. Waasamowin-mazinaakizigan zhiwe zhiibwaase wiigan. Maandosijigan owi Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury.
Endnotes
1 “Mary Green”, Member Profiles – Toronto Island Bound: Dispatch talks to CARFAC Ontario’s August Gibraltar Point Residents, 2000.
2 Mary Green, “Artist’s Statement,” Laurentian University Museum and Arts Centre, February 2-27 1983.
3 Sudbury Art Now!, Sudbury: Laurentian University Museum and Art Centre, 1997.
4 Reformation/Reconstruction 25th Anniversary Exhibition, North Bay: White Water Gallery 2002, 5.
5 Sophie Mathilde, “Off 17 on the verge: Art Gallery of Sudbury (February-March)”, directions, April 2001.
6 Ibid.
Gikendamowin agaa Dinigaademigag
1 “Mary Green”, Waajii-ejig Ayaawiwaad – Toronto Minis Zhaawaad: Waandamaaged giigida odi CARFAC Ontario’s August Gibraltar Point Endaajig, 2000.
2 Mary Green, “Mezinibiiged e’Kidad”, Laurentian Ishpi Gikinomaage Gamig Getewiin enji Zigakinigaadeg miinwaa Mazinibiiganan Wiigwaam, Mkwa-giizis 2-27 1983.
3 Sudbury Mazinchiganag Nongo!, Sudbury: Laurentian Ishpi Gikinomaage Gamig Getewiin enji Zigakinigaadeg miinwaa Mazinibiiganan Wiigwaam, 1997.
4 Aanjisidoongh/Aanjizhitoongh 25th Minaajichigewin Waabmdowewin, North Bay: White Water Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig 2002, 5.
5 Sophie Mathilde, “Gwaasing 17 zhiwe Aami: Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury (Mkwa-giizis-Onaabdin-giizis)”, nikiiyaa, Iskigamizige-giizis 2001.
6 Sophie Mathilde, “Gwaasing 17 zhiwe Aami: Mazininigewinan Waabmdoweng Gamig odi Sudbury (Mkwa-giizis-Onaabdin-giizis)”, nikiiyaa, Iskigamizige-giizis 2001.
Text by Kaylee Sova
Zhibiigan owa Kaylee Sova
