The board of the Yorkton Public Library (YPL) is very excited about its new exhibit in the Community pARTners Gallery.

Marking time is a retrospective of indigenous art from the past five decades.

"It's not very often a small gallery like ours gets a collection like this," said Sandra MacColl, chair of the board and co-director of the pARTners gallery.

The exhibit includes painting, drawing, carving, stitching and beading from the permanent collection of the Saskatchewan Arts Board (SAB).

Some of Saskatchewan's most celebrated indigenous artists are represented including Darren McKenzie who created Righteous Apparition, a mask in cedar and hair, which is the signature piece of the show.

The artworks reflect First Nations culture and history using both traditional and modern materials and techniques.

The Saskatchewan Arts Board owns the largest and most comprehensive collection of Saskatchewan visual art in the world. The permanent collection comprises nearly 3,000 works by more than 600 artists.

The goal of the permanent collection is to represent Saskatchewan artists and contemporary art practices for the purpose of public access.

To that end, the SAB frequently loans out pieces to exhibitions around the province and country and to organizations such as the Yorkton Public Library.

The board also rents artwork to private businesses through its Corporate Art Rental program.

Marking time will be on display in the Community pARTners Gallery and throughout the library until the end of April 2013.