The highly anticipated second season of the documentary series Petroglyphs to Pixels

By Danielle Vienneau

An Urban Rez Production, Petroglyphs to Pixels, is a documentary series exploring how thoughts and ideas lead to art creation—a distinctly human impulse since the beginning of time. The series is the brainchild of Urban Rez Productions’ co-founder Jeff Bear Maliseet (Wolastoq) from New Brunswick and colleague Marianne Jones, Haida from Skidegate, Haida Gwaii. Bear’s career spans over 30 years of storytelling in various forms of digital media, with his focus on Indigenous sources as his expertise, including the critical voices of our times. 

Jeff Bear

Bear has consistently advocated for narrative sovereignty and has been at the forefront of Indigenous-led media since the 90s when he was the only Indigenous person working at CBC Television for a program called The Journal. In addition to his many accolades, he was one of the original members of APTN’s first-ever board of directors, eventually stepping down and realizing he could make a more significant impact behind the camera and connecting directly with others, something he has done successfully as an independent producer for decades. SAY Magazine was honoured to interview Bear to learn more about the series and the inspiration behind his work.  

The first season of Petroglyphs to Pixels, themed Continuity in Indigenous Art, captured the brilliance of some of the top artists in contemporary Indigenous art from across Canada, 13 First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists to be exact. 

In episode 13 of season one, Bear shares his family story and his  “Wolastoq Point of View” as he speaks about his experiences, the significance of language, and the various interpretations and understandings of “art.”  

In talking with SAY Magazine, Bear acknowledges his inspiration, which has always been his guide—his family. “The source of my inspiration comes down to my parenting,” he says. Bear, the youngest of eight children, grew up in his community of Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick and remembers his upbringing fondly. “I come from a long line of canoe builders and people who worked with beads, ash, birchbark, pottery, and textiles. My parents were both artists. They taught my siblings how to make baskets, the first form of artistry my parents practiced.” Being the youngest, Bear always felt loved and respected by his parents and siblings. It wasn’t until he began attending Indian Day School and later integrated into the town school system that he became aware of the cruelty and racism that was ever-present. Bear’s experiences and deep love of his family and Wolastoq culture would set the stage for a successful yet demanding career in the media industry, advocating and bringing forward Indigenous stories. 

Like the many projects he has advocated for and produced over his three-decade career, Petroglyphs to Pixels illuminates how art is defined, what it means to be an artist, and the historical and cultural significance of art in relation to everyday life and societal function. 

Season two of Petroglyphs to Pixels was produced during the pandemic while the world was in lockdown. Bear and Jones had to pivot to continue moving the docuseries forward. Instead of seeking out stories from across the country, the focus shifted to the artists living in the exact location of the production duo in Northern British Columbia’s Haida Gwaii. This shift allowed the series to explore the unique and rich Haida art culture, providing a deeper understanding of this ancient art form. 

“Haida art is probably one of the oldest Indigenous art forms that exists in Canada,” says Bear. “Some might argue that others are, but we have evidence here that it predates colonization by several centuries.”

With their COVID bubble established, Bear and Jones moved forward with the second season of Petroglyphs to Pixels. Focusing on Haida art, season two features curators, knowledge keepers, and artists of many genres. Through these stories, the notions of provenance, issues of ownership, and custody are explored. Bear explains that provenance is the chronology of a historical object’s ownership, custody, or location. Museums use the term to verify authenticity and authorship, which helped establish a chain of custody and title.  

“This is the crossing point for Indigenous people who now dismantle the concept of a historical object to rightfully define objects of art as a box of treasures,” he says. “Personal, community, and heritage drive continuity in Indigenous art—this is our provenance.”

“Indigenous people are the originators of most of the art in Canadian museums. For argument’s sake, I propose the chain of titles for Indigenous art comes back to us,” says Bear. “Across the world, hundreds of museums hold one form of Indigenous art. Galleries, art shows, and biennales across the globe have taken on exhibitions of the new wave, the outstanding and multi-tiered contemporary Indigenous art movement. But we turn pages back and look at provenance: How and why was Indigenous art looted? What forces were at play to ensure it did not disappear?”

Bear continues to explain, “In the Pacific Northwest, there is present-day evidence that Indigenous art was not stamped out by colonization. There are signs everywhere of its survival, abstraction, and contemporaneity. On Vancouver Island, along the Sunshine Coast, and among all coastal First Nations, the continuity of art is indisputable. The common place to showcase this is embodied in the potlatch system, where all works of significance are shown and displayed, often for the first time.” 

Haida Artists Gwaai and Jaalen Edenshaw

 This is particularly acute in the one island that sits offshore, some 150 nautical miles from the Canadian mainland, an archipelago called Haida Gwaii. “On the islands, many artists practice various techniques and mediums,” says Bear. “In some cases, art has survived centuries of global exploitation, social pressure, and circumstances that have tried to shake its provenance.” 

In addition to his production work, Bear has also taught documentary script writing at the College level. As the interview with Bear wrapped up, SAY Magazine asked what advice he gives young Indigenous writers and storytellers, particularly those working in the media industry. He says, “All art forms come from an idea. You can learn a craft and turn it into an art. Believe in yourself, where you come from, and know the people you’re writing about. Get to know the parents and family members of the people you’re profiling because that’s where their value system derives from.”

One of Bear’s passions is being culturally accurate in his storytelling and projects, so he encourages others to celebrate their history. “Rewrite your history and correct the mistakes of the past.”