“Therapy For My Living Spirit”
Hailing from Wiikwemikoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island, Cy has been creating and sharing striking and colourful art for over 40 years. In 1979, Cy worked with the Norval Morrisseau aka “Picasso of the North,” an acclaimed Anishinaabe artist. From 1990 to 1993, Cy studied Museum Studies at the Institute of American Indian Studies in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Yet perhaps more powerful than his art itself, is how he shares it with the world.
I first met Cy (and his super cool mustache, an inspiration in itself) in 2012 when he came to the Centre Wellington District Highschool in Fergus to help create and facilitate the creation of a few murals with students and teachers. With a trolley full of paints and brushes, Cy led us on a journey of discovery as we turned lifeless pillars in our cafeteria into works of art. Outlines of bears and birds soon became filled with whatever colours we fancied, with Cy patiently giving us pointers, trying to teach us that art is accessible to all, regardless of talent. Until then, I had never considered myself an artist or someone capable of art, nor did I feel that I was a part of my school community, until I became involved with the project. But since those few weeks work with Cy, I have always encouraged myself to put my feelings in ink, whether it was a doodle, drawing, or even crafting an essay or an article. I went from being the rebellious stoner kid who skipped class to the Arts and Music Representative on student council. I discovered something I was passionate about, and though I am by no means an artist, at least not in the sense that Cy is, I saw the power art has in bringing people together.
Cy was also able to share with us the importance of art to Indigenous culture. Art is a great medium for connecting us to something bigger and older than ourselves. Drawing on techniques and traditions passed down through generations before, we learn different tools and methods for cultivating community and self-expression. In Cy’s own words, “I have always been actively involved in the community development of First Nations cultural arts. Art, in all its hidden conceptions, seems to me as a vehicle used to transport ideas beyond mere sight. Art in itself contains all viable possibilities in expressions. These learnings have allowed me to utilize art in a therapeutic manner with children and adults within the mosaic society.” As a settler, this created an impetus within me to seek more knowledge about Indigenous history, as well as Canada’s history of colonialism. Cy helped to set me on a path that would bring me to the University of Guelph and beyond, and for that, I’m grateful.
The ability to connect to oneself and then express it into the world is an important part of the human experience. Outlawing Indigenous languages, cultural practices, and traditions was devastating. Through residential schools and legal definitions in the Indian Act, the Government of Canada caused generations of harm. Yet the harm isn’t irreparable. For Cy, art “is therapy for my living spirit. Throughout the many tangents of artistic development, I feel that I am registering images, thoughts and visions for the future generations of the First Nations People. What matters to me is the comfort level these projections give to the receiver. Art is a gift of historical recovery.” In this way, art can be the great mediator, the great medium through which people can connect and reconnect and form a sense of belonging with ourselves and those around us. From helping a teenager from Fergus discover colour, to helping generations heal through expression and creation, Cy is a valuable teacher about the power of art and community.
Photos provided by Robert Flewelling, with permission from Michael ‘Cy’ Cywink
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