Indigenous People’s Day, taking place on June 21, is a day to celebrate the culture, language and history of Indigenous communities in Canada, communities that have lived on Turtle Island (North America) for thousands of years.
Our theme, “Reclamation”, guides our program schedule to highlight learning and reclaiming of culture, language and traditions through art.
Schedule:
Main Hall
12pm Elder Blessing
12:30pm Performance (more information to come)
1-3pm Healing Through Ribbons with Veronica McRea
3rd Floor Terrace
3pm Tour 1 of The Reciprocity Garden
3:30pm Tour 2 of The Reciprocity Garden
About Healing through Ribbons: Veronica McRea has worked for years to reconnect to her culture, and she did this through the creation of ribbons skirts. Join Veronica as she shares her journey, from sewing of her first ribbon skirt to community workshops where she shares her passion with others and helps them to connect to this beautiful tradition.
This 1-hour talk will be followed by a guided instruction by the artist to create your own ribbon skirt lapel pin.
Tour of Reciprocity Garden | ᐋᐧᐦᑰᐦᑐᐃᐧᐣ (wâhkôhtowin)
Join Alaynee Goodwill-Littlechild, our TD Curator of Indigenous Creativity, on a tour of Reciprocity Garden| ᐋᐧᐦᑰᐦᑐᐃᐧᐣ (wâhkôhtowin). She will share insights into the creation of the project and teach the attendees Cree names for the flora and fauna living in our garden.
About the exhibition:
The idea of “reciprocity” is often considered through the lens of trade, but what if we think about it more broadly? That is, reciprocity as general acts of goodwill with the intention of fostering a stronger community. The garden tries to accomplish this by embodying the Cree idea of wâhkôhtowin, a connection to all that surrounds us. Together we all benefit from taking the time to consider what we sow, be it plants, ideas, dreams, or relationships.
Organized by the Art Gallery of Alberta. Curated by Alaynee Goodwill-Littlechild, TD Curator of Indigenous Creativity, and Sara McKarney. Presented by the Poole Centre of Design.