Celebrating Indigenous Art, Culture, and Storytelling at the AGA
June is National Indigenous History Month, a time to honour and celebrate the rich histories, cultures, and contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples across Canada. At the Art Gallery of Alberta, we invite you to join us in recognizing Indigenous voices through a dynamic lineup of exhibitions, films, and community programs throughout the month.
Featured Events
National Indigenous Peoples Day
June 21, 12-5pm
Admission By Donation
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.
Exhibitions
Reciprocity Garden | ᐋᐧᐦᑰᐦᑐᐃᐧᐣ (wâhkôhtowin)
Open now on 3rd floor terrace
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.
Listen to the Land
Opening June 21
Listen to the Land includes three print-based artists selected by the Society of Northern Alberta Print-Artists (SNAP) who are exploring the relationships between personal histories and the broader complexities of self and our surroundings. The land is speaking up and this exhibition encourages us to listen softly.
Organized by the Art Gallery of Alberta and SNAP - Society of Northern Alberta Print-Artists. Curated by Caitlin Bodewitz.
Featured Artists: Jonathan S. Green, Laura Grier, Heather Leier
Cinema for Seniors: So Surreal: Behind the Masks (2024)
June 13, 2-4pm
$5
To mark Indigenous History Month, we are screening So Surreal: Behind the Masks, a feature-length documentary by Nêhiyaw filmmaker Neil Diamond. The film delves into the connection between Indigenous ceremonial masks and Western avant-garde.
This screening is $5 or free with our Barrier-Free option.
About the Film
Combining illustration and engaging storytelling, this film traces the journey of Yup’ik and Kwakwaka’wakw ceremonial masks from the shores of North America to the hands of private European collectors and 20th century artists like Breton, Ernst and Miro through sale, trade and theft. In a bid for the repatriation of these sacred objects, a team of cultural preservation workers and art experts embarks on a global journey to track down the masks, revealing the power of survivance in the face of historical erasure and appropriation.
Film Screening | Two Soft Things, Two Hard Things (2016)
June 19, 7-8:30pm
$5
Join us for a screening of the compelling documentary Two Soft Things, Two Hard Things. This 2016 Canadian film delves into the history of queer identity among the Inuit, and the complexities that arise while planning and hosting a pride celebration.
This screening is included in the AGA’s annual programming for Indigenous History Month.
About the film: As Nunavut capital, Iqaluit, is planning its annual pride celebration, tensions rise and conversations around Christian missions, Inuit culture, government involvement, colonisation and loss of cultural identity are brought to the forefront. A new generation of community members work to remove the shame from their past and work towards 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion.
“An entire culture’s way of life, their family structures, their spirituality and their sexual practices, were effectively silenced and erased in a single generation. That loss of cultural identity and that shame persist today and that’s why a seemingly simple pride event is anything but simple in a community like Iqaluit.”
Workshops & Tours
Healing Through Ribbons with Veronica McRae
June 21, 1-3pm
Veronica McRae 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.
Tours of Reciprocity Garden | ᐋᐧᐦᑰᐦᑐᐃᐧᐣ (wâhkôhtowin)
June 21, 3pm and 3:30pm
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.