Wildcat controversy on phone book
New cover makes a statement about artistic freedom
Meagan Leonard
Northern News Services
Friday, March 13, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A phone book is probably the last place you'd think to find a hidden political statement, but looking at the cover of Northwestel's 2015 directory there is a little more than meets the eye.
Artist Terry Pamplin's painting "Take Back the Cat" was selected as this year's cover art for the Northwestel phone directory. The city-owned historic eatery was at the centre of a controversy last summer involving T-shirts depicting a painting of the Wildcat by another Yellowknife artist. - Meagan Leonard/NNSL photo |
Yellowknife artist Terry Pamplin was this year's cover art winner with his piece "Take Back the Cat" – an acrylic work showcasing a stormy night in Old Town, reminiscent of Van Gogh's "Starry Night."
Nestled in the corner is the iconic heritage site The Wildcat Cafe, about to be frequented by five politically-charged mice. Almost unnoticeable at first, the banners they carry read "take back the cat" – a message anyone active in the local art scene will instantly recognize.
While initial inspiration for the piece came from a photograph Pamplin took last summer during a particularly smoky evening as an artist whose work is often of a satirical nature the opportunity to make it into something more was too tempting.
Last July, local artist Nick MacIntosh had one of his paintings depicting a group of mice dining inside of the Wildcat Cafe printed on T-shirts with the intention of selling them for self-promotion. Soon after a letter arrived from the City of Yellowknife threatening legal action if he did not turn in his T-shirts to city hall.
They said his depiction of the historical eatery constituted a copyright infringement and he could only paint the cafe, providing the sign did not make it into the work. Not unsurprisingly, the issue provoked an outcry from area artists and eventually MacIntosh's shirts were returned to him.
Pamplin said he hoped Northwestel would appreciate the irony and humour.
"I was submitting it in the competition with the hope they would see the humour, the artist statement and the fact that I was standing up with Nick and saying, 'the Wildcat does not belong to the City of Yellowknife,'" he explained. "I paid for renovations as much as you did and as much as Nick did so it belongs to us."
He added the city's attempt to control visual access to local landmarks is a violation of artists' rights, it would be like blocking artist access to the Eiffel Tower or Empire State Building.
"The city (was) claiming to have copyright on these things, which means absolutely nothing to artists because we are allowed to paint and draw and reproduce whatever we want," he said. "That's why it's called artistic licence."
MacIntosh says he is grateful for the solidarity Pamplin has shown through creation of the work, especially since he is such a well-known presence in the artistic community.
"Pamplin doing that is great, it's kind of just saying, 'OK, what happened happened over the summer, don't let it happen again,'" said MacIntosh. "He's a strong presence in the community and what happened affected him too as it would any local artist and he made his own statement about what was happening."
Mark Koepke, Northwestel's manager of external communications, said while they were aware of Pamplin's message, this was not the basis for the work's selection.
"I don't think there is any preconceived notion or idea that anybody is trying to convey … in this case, it was the artist's use of light and colour that was appealing," he told Yellowknifer.
"It was not selected for its political message – honestly it was just sort of, from the point of view of the people who selected it, it was just a reflection of what was going on at the time."
Although the telecommunications giant cannot completely dismiss secondary interpretations that will undoubtedly come from having such an image on its cover, the company hopes people will receive it in a light-hearted way.
"I think it was playfully intended and honestly there was no expectation it was designed to ruffle any feathers," said Koepke. "It certainly wasn't Northwestel's intention when selecting the piece."
For Macintosh, the corporation's choice of Pamplin's piece for such a widely distributed publication shows its continued support for local artists.
"I think it's fantastic that it's on the cover ... that's pretty brave of Northwestel, they're sending a message that they're supporting local artists," he said. "Now when the mayor … is using the phone book, every time he looks at the cover he'll be reminded of this."
Mayor Mark Heyck did not return Yellowknifer calls by press time.
