Mike MacDonald, 1990. Photo by Merle Addison. Courtesy of grunt gallery.
Mike MacDonald
Born in Nova Scotia, Mike MacDonald (1941-2006) was a media artist of Micmac ancestry. After a stint working in a television studio in Toronto, MacDonald moved to Vancouver in 1977 and soon became involved with Metro Media Society of Greater Vancouver (1971-1985). There, he began to use his camera to document peace activism. His video work gradually became focused on the fight for self-determination of indigenous peoples, in particular, First Nations in British Columbia where he resided for much of his career. Congruent to this focus, he began to experiment with media installation itself, culminating in such iconic work as Electronic Totem (1987) and Seven Sisters (1989). His expanded practice also encompassed long-term, truly time-based project of making butterfly gardens throughout Canada, as well as building a community of artists through active participation in artist-run organizations. Grunt gallery’s media archive is much indebted to MacDonald and his video-documentation of performances by First Nations artists such as Dana Claxton, Âhasiw Maskêgon-Iskwêw, Margo Kane, and others.
The archival materials are reproduced courtesy of grunt gallery, Tom Sherman, Mercer Union, and OBORO.
Handwritten artist statement by MacDonald, 1990.
Seven Sisters artist statement by Mike MacDonald, 1989.
Touched by the Tears of a Butterfly pamphlet, 1996. Courtesy of grunt gallery.
Videos de Mike MacDonald, 1993. Courtesy of OBORO.
Mike MacDonald Interview by Tom Sherman, 1991 (excerpt). Courtesy of Mercer Union and Tom Sherman.
Mike MacDonald Interview by Tom Sherman, 1991 (excerpt). Courtesy of Mercer Union and Tom Sherman.
Mike MacDonald Interview by Tom Sherman, 1991 (excerpt). Courtesy of Mercer Union and Tom Sherman.
Mike MacDonald Interview by Tom Sherman, 1991 (excerpt). Courtesy of Mercer Union and Tom Sherman.