I Don't Have to Work that Big
This short documentary focuses on prairie sculptor Joe Fafard. If there's one thing Joe knows, it's cows. He knows the way they tuck in their forelegs to lie down to ruminate and the way a calf romps in the barnyard. He also knows his friends and neighbours in the farming community of Pense, Saskatchewan—and he sculpts them all in clay, as eloquent and quirky miniatures. Joe's work has been exhibited throughout Canada as well as in Paris and New York, and this film offers a glimpse into his process, his aesthetic, and the charming prairie community in which he lives.
to add to your list
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West1973 12 filmsThis is the Canadian West that the traveller seldom sees, each film an intimate look at some facet of life of the three Prairie provinces. From the west, the east, the NFB and independent filmmakers, the films in this series show Canadians in many walks of life--the whole colorful mosaic that spreads from the plains of Manitoba and Saskatchewan to the towering peaks of Alberta's mountains.
This short documentary focuses on prairie sculptor Joe Fafard. If there's one thing Joe knows, it's cows. He knows the way they tuck in their forelegs to lie down to ruminate and the way a calf romps in the barnyard. He also knows his friends and neighbours in the farming community of Pense, Saskatchewan—and he sculpts them all in clay, as eloquent and quirky miniatures. Joe's work has been exhibited throughout Canada as well as in Paris and New York, and this film offers a glimpse into his process, his aesthetic, and the charming prairie community in which he lives.
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directorMichael McKennirey
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editingMichael McKennirey
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producerJohn N. Smith
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photographyBarry Perles
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soundJacques DrouinJacques Rousseau
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sound editingAndré GalbrandKarl Duplessis
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re-recordingMichel Descombes
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musicGlen Charles Koudelka
Have students comment on the primary subjects of Fafard’s art. Discuss his
affection for sculpting cows. Would you consider buying one of his sculptures?
Supply reasons for your answer. In what ways does his art celebrate rural
Canadian life and rural Saskatchewan in particular? To learn more about Joe
Fafard’s career and national honours since this film was made, go to this
website.
