Ray Fox finds muse in museum artifacts, Anishinaabe culture for new art exhibit

Two-spirited visual artist Ray Fox has drawn inspiration from his Anishinaabe roots and historical artifacts for his latest exhibition that’s currently on display at Sault Ste. Marie Museum. 

This past weekend, the museum hosted the launch of Baawitigong — an Ojibwe term for ‘at the rapids’ — which has been described by the museum as an “exploration of Anishinaabe history and personal identity” that’s been informed by historical photos and artifacts that have been made available to Fox at the museum as its latest artist in residence.  

“The exhibition is based on research and findings that I came into with through the museum archives and artifacts that they had there — they have a lot of old photographs and a pretty well-stocked library, as well as items such as pottery shards that were gathered from Whitefish Island and Gros Cap, and beads that were made from bone,” Fox said during a recent interview with SooToday. 

Fox, who has been exhibiting his works throughout northeastern Ontario for more than two decades, is the second artist in residence at the museum under the newly-developed Artist and Presenters Grant sponsored by the Ontario Arts Council. 

The aim of the residency program is to blend the arts with culture and history in order to highlight collections within the museum and how they can inspire artistic creation.

Fox, who works full-time during the week, began spending weekends at the museum in order to draw inspiration for Baawitigong when his tenure as artist in residence began this past April. 

“I would go spend time at the archives or in the library over there, just reading through the material and seeing what they have for the history of Sault Ste. Marie in terms of their Indigenous history,” he said. 

Fox also used materials from the region in order to create the exhibit; he crafted the charcoal used for the drawing from willow and driftwood that had been found on the shores of Lake Superior. 

“A lot of it is combined with charcoal that I made from Manitoulin Island as well,” he said. 

One of the paintings in the exhibit was informed by Fox’s environment; one day the artist "hit a wall" while piecing together Baawitigong and felt a need to get out of the library, so he went to Whitefish Island — one of the historical hubs for Anishinaabe people in the area — and did what he describes as a “wellness walk” in an effort to find some inspiration.

He would happen upon four or five beaver dams, which led to the creation of the largest painting in the exhibit; Fox says the Anishinaabe legend ‘Nanabush and the Giant Beaver’ came to mind, which is a creation story which takes place where the St. Marys River meets Lake Superior.

“I took a couple pictures, and they ended up being my reference photos for this big painting,” he said.

Raised in a family of Manitoulin Island-based visual artists, Fox says he's been creating art from the time he was a child. 

“I’ve been doing art ever since I can remember,” Fox said. 

Baawitigong will be on display at Sault Ste. Marie Museum until the end of February. 

Samples of Fox’s artwork can be found on his Instagram account.