Mayor James White and ex-chief Big Crane sharing a pipe at the curse-lifting ceremony, August 15, 1964.

06.12.1997 | 18.01.1998
FOLD IT UP AND PUT IT AWAY: FERNIE’S CURSE | GWEN MACGREGOR

Toronto artist Gwen MacGregor's installation grew out of a residency project in 1995. It centres around the town of Fernie, where her mother grew up, and involves a broken promise between the Tobacco Plains Band and William Fernie, the founder of the town. As a result of a curse placed upon the town, it endured a legacy of fire, flood, and famine. In 1964, when MacGregor's grandfather James White was mayor, a curse-lifting ceremony took place that went wrong, and the curse was inadvertently transferred to White, who died six weeks later. The ceremony, recorded on Super-8 film by MacGregor's grandmother, forms the focal point of the installation which recreates the rich layering of voices and stories about the town that have evolved down through its history, including that of Dan Gravelle, the current Chief of the Tobacco Plains Band.

Organized by the Southern Alberta Art Gallery with funding assistance from the Canada Council.