Allen Sapp, OC

Order of Canada

The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...

, SOM

Saskatchewan Order of Merit

The Saskatchewan Order of Merit is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Instituted in 1985 by Lieutenant Governor Frederick Johnson, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier Grant Devine, the order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to...

 (born January 2, 1928) is a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 Cree

Cree

The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...

 painter, currently living in North Battleford, Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....

. His art and his story have become well known throughout Canada and has become an inspiration to many. His paintings tell a personal story. Many of his paintings feature images of his grandmother, and reflect the love he has for her. His paintings seem to touch something in all people and his work and life story have been the subject of numerous books and television documentaries over the years.

Allen Sapp was born on the Red Pheasant Reserve, south of the city of North Battleford. His mother suffered from tuberculosis and eventually died during his adolescence.

Allen was raised by his maternal grandmother and grandfather, Albert and Maggie Soonias. As a child, Allen was often ill and spent long hours in bed. His grandmother nurtured him and encouraged his love of drawing, teaching him in the Cree ways.

He attended the Red Pheasant school, but was often mocked and teased by the other children and teachers because of his desire to draw. His grandfather removed him from the school because he needed him on the farm. Allen remained at home and cared for his grandmother until she died in 1963. After her death, he then moved to North Battleford to try and make a living as an artist, selling paintings door to door. In 1966 he met Dr. Allan Gonor. Dr. Gonor recognized Allen's talent and encouraged him to paint what he knew—life on the reserve. As soon as Allen began to paint his childhood memories, he was flooded with images, and would stay up all night painting. By the seventies, Allen's work was known across North America and as far away as London, England.

In 1986, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada

Order of Canada

The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...

 "for his portrayals of Native peoples and of life on the reserve". In 1985, he was awarded the Saskatchewan Order of Merit

Saskatchewan Order of Merit

The Saskatchewan Order of Merit is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Instituted in 1985 by Lieutenant Governor Frederick Johnson, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier Grant Devine, the order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to...

. In 1975, he was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts

The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts is a Canadian arts-related institution founded in 1880, under the patronage of the Governor General of Canada, Sir John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, the Marquess of Lorne. Canadian landscape painter Homer Watson was a member and president of the Academy...

. In 2003, he received the Governor General's Award for English language children's illustration

Governor General's Award for English language children's illustration

This is a list of recipients of the Governor General's Award for illustration in an English-language children's book. The award was created in 1987 alongside the award for English-language children's literature.-1980s:...

 for the book, The Song Within My Heart.

External links

• Allen Sapp at The Canadian Encyclopedia
  The Canadian Encyclopedia
  The Canadian Encyclopedia is a source of information on Canada. It is available online, at no cost. The Canadian Encyclopedia is available in both English and French and includes some 14,000 articles in each language on a wide variety of subjects including history, popular culture, events, people,...
  
  
• Official web site
• Canada House Gallery Banff