Jacques St. Goddard’s Gallery Greatness: The Canadian Plains Gallery Genesis and Growth
“I had a dream, I had a goal that I saw something in this direction, and something I really wanted to do, and it was something I truly believed in, and I just blindly went for it,” recalls Canadian Plains Gallery founder Jacques St. Goddard. He is Métis from Saint Laurent, Manitoba. Raised in a traditional Métis lifestyle by his dad who was a hunter who fished in the winter, his family grew big gardens in the summer full of food they could preserve. From the age of twelve, he had his own gun and hunted rabbits, checking his snares before heading off to school.
While St. Goddard loves his land-based activities, he was also constantly reading. After graduating from high school, he went on to work in construction for eight years. While he worked in trades, he kept learning through the library, checking out twenty books at a time. During winter layoffs, he would take courses. He was one of ten students who received funding through the Aboriginal Arts Group to go to the Red River College and train to be a manager of Indigenous artists. This was a perfect fit given he had always been into poetry and photography growing up.
During the training, St. Goddard and his classmates put on an art show, a concert, a book launch, a powwow and a poetry recital. They learned to plan and execute events. The plan had been to manage artists within the sponsoring organization but it dissolved. He worked with the Manitoba Arts Council for a handful of months and then went on to launch the Canadian Plains Gallery, an art gallery that has been running for thirty years.
At the gallery, St. Goddard works with the artists on portfolio development, writing their biographies, photographing and digitizing their paintings to turn them into prints in large format, murals, and decals. Photography had been a passion of his since he was a teen, and he has worked with designers, models, artists and photographed bands. He put on the first National Indigenous Peoples Day events in the area.
When St. Goddard first got started, he borrowed $300 to set up a phone and fax line and he would work til two o’clock in the morning faxing the one-page flyer he developed for the gallery to companies to promote it. He joined the Chamber of Commerce and ended up on their Aboriginal Economic Development Committee, doing a trade mission to Minnesota and then to the Northwest Territories. “It was exciting all the different things that fall into place once you follow your dreams,” he beams.
If St. Goddard could give advice to an Indigenous youth thinking of leaving their home community to go to school it would be,”If you want to do it, go for it, but also work towards it, and work hard and you can do it. Just don't be scared to take that chance.” He reflects on a quote he saw, “If you're worried about the cost of going for it, you should see the price of staying exactly where you are.”
When it comes to obstacles, St. Goddard struggled with making enough money to pay the bills and to reinvest in marketing. While going out to celebrate every sale was tempting, it would have left him broke. His approach was to save some money for bills and to reinvest, upgrading his cheap camera he had in the beginning so he could get a better camera and better lenses and eventually, a digital camera. He started buying art off the artists until he had a million dollar collection. “It's all about reinvesting and building and believing in yourself and building to where you want it to be at the same time,” he advises.
If St. Goddard could share a message with a younger version of himself it would be, “Live healthier, be smarter. Don't be foolish with your health and have fun and enjoy life. Life goes by so fast. That 30 years went by in a blink of an eye.” Between playing in and photographing teams in the Indigenous mixed slow pitch league, meeting artists and musicians, going to fashion shows, travelling to BC, Germany, Brazil, Chicago, Ottawa, and Toronto, he’s had so many good times. At the same time, too many late nights and drinks took a toll on his health and he’s working on feeling better, with years having passed since he drank. Looking back, he wishes he had been smarter with his money, and bought a house instead of renting.
To take care of his health, St. Goddard does weight training three to five days a week in the full gym he has in his home. He built his fitness equipment collection up since he was 17 so that he has cardio equipment and weights to exercise with. Being able to exercise has been his outlet and something he’s enjoyed.
Thinking about what inspires St. Goddard, it comes down to how much more he wants to do in life and wanting to get out there and do it. He’s looking at expanding his gallery space and while that’s an exciting prospect, he tries not to get overwhelmed. Looking to find balance and live within the seven teachings, he reflects on how he treats himself and others.
His advice for someone struggling with something would be to reach out and talk to someone if possible, or to go for a walk, smudge or pray. St. Goddard recommends releasing energy, exercising or doing something to feel better. As a first choice, talking to someone familiar is something he always suggests, along with spending quality time with pets.
Once Jacques St. Goddard had a dream, something he really wanted to do that he truly believed in, and he just blindly went for it… and the Canadian Plains Gallery was born. Working tirelessly to make his art gallery dreams come true, he’s sustained his vision for thirty years. Building on his imagination, he’s expanding on his success and creating more artistic opportunities in his community.
Thanks to Alison Tedford Seaweed for authoring this article.
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