Artist for social change and Art Educator Mahlikah Awe:ri Enml’ga’t Saqama’sgw chats Indigenous art education and its importance for generations to come.

In light of our recent Diversity & Inclusion learning sessions, and the important conversations continuing in this time, in this Artist Spotlight, the AGO celebrates the work and contributions of one of our Indigenous Art Educators, Mahlikah Awe:ri Enml’ga’t Saqamasgw …

Since its debut last fall, an integral part of the AGO’s daily, free Virtual School Program has been the regular themed sessions about Indigenous art, led by our talented team of Indigenous art educators. And while summer school holidays are fast approaching, a few more Indigenous Art explorations remain before the Virtual School Program wraps on June 18. To mark these, we caught up with Afro-Indigenous Kanien’kéha & Mi’kmaw artist and experienced AGO educator Mahlikah Awe:ri to chat more about her role, the overwhelming feedback from students and what it means to share knowledge with others about Indigenous Art.

AGOinsider: What do you like most about being an art educator?

Awe:ri: I see this role as an extension of my medicine bundle, as a creative being and emerging knowledge keeper. Being an art educator gives me an opportunity to engage in knowledge sharing from an Indigenous lens, in spaces and with audiences that were not always accessible to us as Indigenous peoples. And that brings me joy. I also genuinely love learning about other First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists. This role has enabled me to expand my perspective on Indigenous art and the diverse ways in which we see ourselves, our history, herstory, to the colonial project and our contemporary relationships to stewardship and sovereignty on these lands. 

This conversation further illuminates the philosophies shared by Wanda Nanibush and Dr. Duke Redbird in our recent Diversity and Inclusion Learning session. Read the full article, here (via AGOinsider)