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BEHCHOKO/RAE-EDZO
A five-day carving workshop was held for people with visual impairment in Behchoko.

Jonathan Smith of Behchoko works on a carving during a workshop to teach visually impaired people carving skills. - photo courtesy of Norma Jean Jarvis

Hosted through the CNIB, the workshop helped teach introductory skills for stone carving.

Behchoko resident Jerry Smith took part in the event.

"It's really good, lots of fun and lots of work, but worth it," he said.

Jerry and his brother Jonathan Smith have participated in a few different carving workshops and say that they do help improve hand skills for artists who are visually impaired.

Dr. Paul Ponchillia, a professor visiting the community from Western Michigan University, led the workshop along with some of his co workers.

Ponchillia has presented workshops on daily living about four or five times over the years, he said.

It was two years ago, the last time he was in Behchoko, that the facilitators decided to add carving to the workshops.

"The clients had a real aptitude for it," he said. "We really wanted to be able to put something on to move them along with their carving skills."

About seven community members with visual impairment attended the workshop.

"Some of these people have attended workshops for years, most of them are friends now," he said.

Ponchillia is visually impaired himself, and a stone carver.

"I certainly know that it is possible to carve and be visually impaired," he said. "I know from experience that it isn't that difficult."

Jerry agreed.

"Yeah, it is difficult to do, but you just feel the work and feel how it happens," he said.

The carvings mainly depict fish, such as Northern pike and lake trout, according to Ponchillia.

"We wanted to try and find a niche, and that niche was to draw from things in the Tlicho culture," he said. "When you are just starting out, you can't compete with some of the bigger names and Inuit carvers selling in Yellowknife."

Jerry said he also really enjoys carving spearheads, but has not done it since the workshop.

Ponchillia said the carvers of Behchoko will need more training before they can work independently, but he is hopefully that a space can be found in the community for them to use as studio space.

"To have a place to go and create, even form some type of co-operative, that is the aim," he said. "It is quite doable, there is no question about that."

Jerry looks forward to that day.

"I hope they can do something about getting a space," said Jerry. "I would go often and do it."

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