Indigenous Art

KENT MONKMAN – A NEW AQUISITION FOR THE AGGV

We are delighted to announce that the AGGV has acquired an exceptional work by renowned Cree artist, Kent Monkman.  This is the first work by Monkman to enter the AGGV collection and the piece is now on display in our current exhibition In the Flesh: The Nude in Art, Past and Present.

A VIEW FROM HERE: REIMAGINING THE AGGV COLLECTIONS

Steven McNeil,  AGGV Chief Curator & Director of Collections and Exhibitions, shares much anticipated news about the Gallery’s permanent collections and the diverse selection of works to be exhibited in two newly dedicated Gallery spaces. The ongoing exhibition, A View From Here: Reimagining the AGGV Collections, will boast a rotating selection of some of the Gallery’s finest pieces.

KALI SPITZER: BODIES OF, BODIES WITHIN

Mel Granley, AGGV Assistant Curator, describes the importance of Kali Spitzer’s Photographic work, which “embraces the stories of contemporary BIPOC, queer and trans bodies, creating representation that is self determined, with her collaborative process being informed by the desire to rewrite the visual histories of Indigenous bodies beyond a colonial lens.”

CELEBRATING NIPD AT THE AGGV & BEYOND

By Mel Granley, AGGV Assistant Curator (Michif and mixed-European)

The annual festivities of National Indigenous Peoples Day provide an opportunity for everyone in so-called “Canada” to embrace and celebrate the peoples who have tended to this land for time immemorial. Historically, this event has existed as a way for Indigenous people to uplift and show pride for our cultures in the face of discrimination and oppression. Today, while Indigenous people continue to push against those forces, June 21st has become a day for everyone to come together and consider their positions on the lands they live, and to celebrate the nations who have stewarded these beautiful lands for generations upon generations.

REFLECTIONS FROM LINDSAY DELARONDE’S MOCCASIN MAKING WORKSHOP

By AGGV & Threshold Housing Society

Throughout December Lindsay Katsitsakatste Delaronde joined 12 participants at the AGGV for a hands-on workshop inspired by the Gallery’s previous exhibition Adorned. In particular, the Gallery was thrilled to have 5 youth from Thresholds Housing Society join us in learning about self exploration and ancestral ties through Indigenous beading and moccasin making.

ORIGIN STORIES OF A FAMILY NATURE

By Cheryl L’Hirondelle

kinanāskomitinawaw – thank you to the lək̓ʷəŋən People, whose land the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria is on and whose language and stories engage with this place more eloquently and accurately than these words and this short story can ever hope to. Regardless, thank you to the dedicated and caring AGGV staff and curator Jaimie Isaac for inviting me to share.

THE TRANSFORMATION OF A BEAD: REFLECTIONS FROM CONNIE PAUL’S BEADING WORKSHOP

By Natalie Rollins, AGGV Public Programs Coordinator

Standing in circle under the golden Garry oak growing in the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria’s courtyard, Yetta woke the heart beat of a drum with a soft slow thrum, thrum, thrum. She opens into song reflecting this gentle rhythm and deep reverberance. Yetta’s teachings for the beading workshop begin; we have been invited to learn about the transformation of a bead.

I DIDN’T KNOW I WAS AN ARTIST

By Tyrone Elliott

I’ve been Cedar weaving since I was 4. In my mind, there was a distinct disconnect between what I did and what artists did. I’ve come to learn that while not necessarily everything is art, most things, if not everything, can be made into art.