Local arts patrons will have the opportunity Thursday to experience an intimate portrait of one of Canada's most celebrated sculptors as the Moose Jaw Public Library and Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery present a special screening of "Fafard," the feature-length documentary chronicling the final years of Joe Fafard's life and artistic career.
The 86-minute film, directed by Jan Nowina-Zarzycki and completed in 2021, documents Fafard as he worked to complete two seminal pieces following his devastating stomach cancer diagnosis, offering viewers access to the artist's creative process and personal reflections on mortality, art, and his Saskatchewan roots.
Jennifer McRorie, curator at the Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery (MJMAG), has said that Fafard's work is central to the MJMAG collection and important to the Moose Jaw community.
The documentary follows Fafard as he sets out to complete a self-portrait and a two-sided portrait of Vincent van Gogh while battling his illness. Viewers witness the artist working in his foundry at Lumsden, Saskatchewan, and traveling across Canada to visit his installations, sharing stories about his childhood in the small French and Métis community of Ste. Marthe, Saskatchewan.
Fafard died at his home outside of Lumsden, Saskatchewan on March 16, 2019, from stomach cancer at the age of 76.
Director Jan Nowina-Zarzycki brings extensive experience to the project, having worked in film and television in Poland and Canada for more than 30 years. His previous documentary work includes collaborations with Academy Award-winning director Andrzej Wajda, with whom he co-wrote the screenplay for "Pan Tadeusz."
The screening, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Museum & Art Gallery, will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Nowina-Zarzycki and a reception in the gallery spaces, allowing attendees to view works from the permanent collection alongside discussion of the film.
The museum houses multiple Fafard pieces, including the prominent bronze horse "Peggy," which has been a centerpiece in the gallery lobby since 2016. The institution previously organized the touring exhibition "In Prints / Imprimer," featuring Fafard's woodblock prints, etchings, and lithographs.
The artist received several awards throughout his professional career including being named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1981, the Architectural Institute of Canada Allied Arts Award in 1987, the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2002, the National Prix Montfort in 2003, and the Lieutenant Governor's Saskatchewan Centennial Medal for the Arts in 2005.
The documentary has been featured at gallery screenings across Canada, including presentations at Emily Carr University in Vancouver, Contemporary Calgary, and the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina, where Fafard's retrospective exhibition remains the most highly attended show in the gallery's history.
The film features praise from acclaimed Saskatchewan author Guy Vanderhaeghe, who described it as "a rare and stellar documentary, a thoughtful, deeply compassionate film about an important sculptor confronting his mortality after a life devoted to making art."
The screening aligns with the MJMAG mandate to make significant Canadian art accessible to the local community while fostering broader cultural discussions.
Admission to Thursday's screening is free, though advance registration is recommended. The event runs from 6:30 p.m. to approximately 8:30 p.m., including the film, discussion, and reception components.