Allen Sapp (1928 - 2015)

Allen Sapp’s paintings reflect his experiences growing up near North Battleford, Saskatchewan. Born in 1928, he overcame many childhood hardships growing up on the Red Pheasant Reserve. In his early life he found his way to painting and, with the help of Dr. Gonor and local Saskatoon artist and educator Wynona Mulcaster in the 1960s, he used his talent to depict his Plains Cree ancestry and his memories of daily tasks and events. An early exhibition in 1969 at the Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon launched his career and by the 1970s he had gained widespread attention and respect in the Canadian art world that continues to this day. Allen Sapp became a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1975, an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1986 and received the Saskatchewan Arts Board Lifetime Award for Excellence in the Arts in 1995.

Curriculum Vitae

Born:
January 2, 1928 Red Pheasant Reserve, SK

AWARDS:

1975 Royal Canadian Academy of Art
1985 Saskatchewan Order of Merit
1986 Order of Canada (invested in 1987)
1995 Saskatchewan Arts Board Lifetime Award for Excellence in the Arts
1998 Honorary Doctorate, University of Regina
1999 National Aboriginal Lifetime Achievement Award

SOLO EXHIBTIONS:

"Travelling Home - ki we pa yih wak", Allen Sapp Gallery, North Battleford, SK, Summer and Fall 2013
"Peh Mitchisook (Come and Eat)", Allen Sapp Gallery, North Battleford, SK, March 2012
"Allen Sapp - Daily Events",The Gallery / Art Placement, Inc., Saskatoon, SK, February 2011
"Portraits: Painting, Face-Pulling and Storytelling, Allen Sapp Gallery, North Battleford, SK, November 2010
"Allen Sapp: Paintings From the 1960 - 2000", Canada House Gallery, Banff, AB, 2010
"Allen Sapp - Memories of My Childhood", Assiniboia Gallery, Regina, SK, October 2010
"Allen Sapp", Canada House Gallery, Banff, AB, 2007
"Through the Eyes of the Cree and Beyond: The Art of Allen Sapp, Allen Sapp Gallery, North Battleford, SK, 2005 (followed by touring exhibition)
"Recollections", Canada House Gallery, Banff, AB, 2002
"Remembering", Canada House Gallery, Banff, AB, 2000
"Kiskayetum ( 'He Perceives It') Allen Sapp, A Retrospective", Mackenzie Art Gallery, Regina, SK (touring exhibition), 1994
Hambleton Galleries, Kelowna, BC, 1994
Assiniboia Bessborough Gallery, Saskatoon, SK, 1994
Masters Gallery, Calgary, AB 1993
Hollander-York Gallery, Toronto,ON, 1993
Lourie Gallery, Toronto, ON, 1992
Clymer Art Museum and Gallery, Ellensburg, Washington, D.C., 1992
West End Gallery, Edmonton, AB, 1991
Hambleton Galleries, Kelowna, BC, 1990
Allen Sapp Gallery: The Gonor Collection, North Battleford, SK,1990
La Galerie Continentale, Montreal, 1989
Robertson Galleries, Ottawa, ON, 1981
Assiniboia Gallery, Regina, SK,1978
Continental Galleries, Montreal, PQ, 1977
Rowe House Washington, D.C., 1976
Hammer Galleries, New York, NY, 1976
Zachary Walter Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, 1974
Gallery of the Golden Key, Vancouver, BC, 1972
The Gainsborough Galleries, Calgary, AB, 1972
Downstairs Gallery, Edmonton, AB, 1971
Alwin Gallery, London, England, 1970
Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, SK, 1969
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, 1968

GROUP EXHIBITIONS:

"Storytelling - Featuring work by Allen Sapp, Leah Dorion and David Bouchard", Allen Sapp Gallery, North Battleford, SK, November 2012-May 2013
"Inspired by the Land", Allen Sapp Gallery, North Battleford, SK, November 2009-November 2010 (followed by touring exhibition)
"New Beginnings:", Native Business Summit, Metro Convention Centre, Toronto, ON, June 1986

COLLECTIONS:

Cameco Corporation, Saskatoon,SK
Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau, PQ
Canpotex International, Saskatoon,SK
Glenbow Museum, Calgary,AB
Gonor Collection, Allen Sapp Gallery, North Battleford,SK
Mann Art Gallery, Prince Albert,SK
McMichael Collection,Kleinburg, ON
Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon,SK
Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery, Moose Jaw,SK
Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, Regina,SK
Nutrien, Saskatoon,SK
Saskatchewan Arts Board, Regina,SK
Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay,ON
St. Thomas More College, Saskatoon,SK
The Shurniak Art Gallery, Assiniboia, SK
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon,SK

ARTICLES:

"Reviews", Galleries West Magazine, April 2010
"Body of Work", Winnipeg Free Press, June 18, 2009
"Real, Live Legend", Leader-Post, June 13, 2006
"Views of a Generation", StarPhoenix, May 25, 2005
"When Allen Sapp Paints the Past, His 'Nokum' Guides His Hand", Edmonton Journal, October 15, 2004
"Allen Sapp Honoured for Art Work", Leader-Post, November 12, 2003
"Cree Artist Wins Governor General's Award", National Post, November 11, 2003

PUBLICATIONS:

Nokum is My Teacher by David Bouchard, Red Deer Press, 2006
Through the Eyes of the Cree and Beyond by Allen Sapp, A. Sapp Gallery, 2005
The Song Within My Heart by David Bouchard and Allen Sapp, Raincoast Books, 2002
I Heard the Drums by Allen Sapp, Stoddart Publishing, 1996
Two Spirits Soar by W.P. Kinsella, Stoddart Publishing, 1990