Art helped ceramicist Judy Chartrand discover she actually has 'a very loud voice'

Cree ceramicist Judy Chartrand nearly gave up on her lifelong dream of becoming an artist, when she was rejected by a prestigious art school in her late 20s. 

Thankfully, the Vancouver-based artist persevered. She's now vying for the $100,000 Sobey Art Award — the biggest prize in Canadian art — as the short list nominee selected to represent the Pacific region.

Chartrand is renowned for her sculptures and installations, which have exhibited at home and abroad, at venues including the Gardiner Museum, the MacKenzie Art Gallery and the Institute of American Indian Arts' Museum of Contemporary Native Art in Santa Fe. 

Her artwork riffs on elements of pop and consumer culture, often using humour to comment on issues like racism, colonialism and the relationships between Canada and First Nations. 

To get to know the six finalists from across Canada contending for the Sobey Art Award, CBC Arts sent a questionnaire to each artist. Read on to learn how growing up in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside influenced Chartand, why the artist might like to try her hand at mixology and how working with clay teaches an important life lesson. 

The winner of the 2024 Sobey Art Award will be announced on Nov. 9. You can find all of our 2024 Sobey Art Award coverage here.

When did you know you'd be an artist? 

I showed artistic ability at the age of four, and by the age of eight, I was skipping breakfast so I could get to school early to paint before school started. I grew up in extreme poverty and family dysfunction, and while I had always hoped and dreamed to become an artist, I gave that up in my late 20s when my application to a prestigious art school was denied on the advice that I submit a more substantial portfolio, rather than just drawings. I wasn't in the financial position to do that, so I gave up and went full time into cleaning hotel rooms. 

Then, in my 30s, I was blessed to be coaxed by a few First Nations counsellors to follow my dream, and I applied and was accepted into a smaller fine arts program at a different institution. I didn't officially call myself an artist until I had my MFA degree and was supporting myself with my work.

What does art allow you to do?

I have always been shy and didn't have much of a voice. Art gave me a way to visually express what I now know to be a very loud voice. It has also been a great way to give back to the community by donating works for all levels of fundraisers, and even more so, has opened up connections with a variety of people that I would not have had otherwise.

Is there a question, inquiry or investigation central to your art practice? What is it?

In my practice, I have always been trying to make sense of white racism. I don't understand how having privilege can make people become so twisted in their humanity. I have asked what it is and the only consistent answer I get is that white people fear losing their place in society. I think if you weigh out the good and bad of it, it's much more easy to live where you can accept others as equals than to constantly be angry and ugly thinking that you are owed more than everyone else. It's an ongoing query, which I wish wasn't.

Why do you practice the discipline you do? 

I earnestly started my art journey working with clay. I love the malleable qualities of it, where I can create almost anything that comes to my mind. I also appreciate how it forces me to stay focused, because clay isn't something that you can rush. It requires patience and care in not only the building process, but also the drying and firing of the work. The lesson all ceramicists eventually learn is not to get attached to your work, and when disaster happens, take a bit of time to breathe, console yourself, then jump right back in, making changes that hopefully end in success — kind of like the realities of life.

How does place influence your art?

Growing up in a marginalized neighbourhood and being an urban inner city Cree in Vancouver has had great influences on my art. When I was a child, I lived in a neighbourhood that had a high population of Chinese Canadians as well as a thriving Black community along with a microcosm of Japanese Canadians and Italian Canadians. I became very aware of race at a young age — in a good way. But I also learned that once we stepped outside of those margins, racism could rear its ugly face at any moment.

To work best, what do you absolutely need?

I work my best when I can focus on the task at hand. I work my worst when there are too many interruptions and requests that take me away from it.

What was the most impactful work of art — in any medium — you experienced this past year? 

This is difficult to answer because there have been more than a few works out in the world that have absolutely blown my mind. But because I am situated in the Pacific region of Canada, I am going to stay true to artists in this region and say the most impactful work I experienced online this year has been Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun's Wild Fire series of paintings. He has been able to capture the absolute scariness of climate change. His paintings are monumental, and will no doubt affect anyone who views them.

If you weren't an artist, what would you like to do for work?

I would still like to do something creative … maybe be a mixologist, so that I could engage in researching historical and contemporary concoctions to test methods that would inspire new cocktails. Also, this field would fulfil my collecting bug, and I'd no doubt have one of the best bar and glassware collections around.

Can you tell us about the artwork you're showing at the National Gallery of Canada for the Sobey Art Award exhibition?

The exhibition is a survey of works that I created starting from the mid 1990s to now. It shows that I have been consistent in my art practice over the years and in expressing my thoughts and experiences with difficult topics. The artwork reveals my forthrightness as well as the kind of humour I use to break through racial barriers and biases.

How does it exemplify your practice?

I am influenced by my surroundings and the works in the exhibit show the process of me trying to work out issues visually, while also taking time out from more sensitive experiences and moving into self-care, where I just have fun — like I'd hope everyone could do in order to stay sane.

The winner of the 2024 Sobey Art Award will be announced on Nov. 9 in Ottawa. The Sobey Art Award exhibition continues at the National Gallery of Canada through April 6, 2025.