(Photo credit: Donovan Hillman/The Quill)

The Glen P. Sutherland Art Gallery had a new exhibit last week with a primary focus on Métis culture in Manitoba. Jason Hryciuk is a Fine Arts student and explains that there was a lot of time invested in getting the exhibit ready.

"A lot of time, a lot of effort put in," explains Hryciuk. "I was there from 9:00 am to 5:00pm most days the last two terms.”

The exhibit is part of Jason's thesis exhibition course which totalled 15 credit hours. He says the feedback has been good and a lot of students and faculty have been soaking it all in.

"Oh yeah, a lot of Arts students especially," explains Jason who says his exhibit had a clear purpose. Hryciuk is of Métis decent and wanted to share his experiences through art. One of the primary goals of the exhibit was to pass along knowledge of Manitoba's Métis peoples that Hryciuk received throughout his life. The exhibit included many pieces of work including arrows, pelts of unique paintings.

Hryciuk explains that out of all the pieces of art gathered the hunting bow took the longest as he carved it by hand and not with power tools.

"There's something special about not using power tools," says Hryciuk who adds that he made the bow from using a pocket knife and had to take great care to make sure he didn't cut to deep. Overall Hryciuk says the exhibit came together quite nicely and it was not only a learning experience for the students and faculty that attended the exhibition but himself as well. Throughout the many people who attended the art gallery he heard other stories and experiences from people who were also Métis. Jason's Métis exhibit ran for a total of 10 days and finished up this past Saturday.