Rising star Meryl McMaster, whose 'Ancestral' portraits explore identity, makes Minneapolis debut
Opening Saturday: Arriving in Minneapolis from her home in Ottawa, Ontario, artist Meryl McMaster will discuss her recent photo projects, "Ancestral" and "In-Between Worlds," before her Twin Cities debut show. A rising star in Canada since her 2010 graduation from the Ontario College of Art and Design, McMaster is fast gaining recognition in the United States as well. Her "Wandering" photo series is currently on view at the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts in Santa Fe, N.M. (through Dec. 31), while her "Second Self" images are at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in New York (through Dec. 11). Her Minneapolis show will feature eight large-scale images in which she melds contemporary and historical portraits — both photos and paintings — of aboriginal and Euro-Canadian people, including self-portraits. Poignant and proud, the composite images suggest how history and heritage continue to shape the modern self, including McMaster's own hybrid British, Dutch and Plains Cree identity. (Talk, 4 p.m. Sat.; reception 5-8 p.m., free. Bockley Gallery, 2123 W. 21st St., Mpls. Ends Dec. 19, free. 612-377-4669 or bockleygallery.com)
MARY ABBE
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