We are honoured to continue this series of Diversity & Inclusion recordings, part of the Gallery’s commitment to building a more diverse and inclusive staff and volunteer community.

In this session, we meet two of the AGO’s Indigenous Art Educators, Louise Miteouamigoukoue Spiritcougar Lefevre and Mahlikah Awe:ri Enml’ga’t Saqama’sgw, who so generously share their teaching expertise with us. In this discussion, they share how Indigenous art education is presented in school programs at the Gallery. This is particularly in relation to “NAC 10” – a course for Grade 9 TDSB students that frames an expression of First Nations, Inuit and Metis culture in an immersive experience at the Gallery.

This presentation helps us to deepen our understanding of indigenous art history, and build on parts of the conversation started by Wanda Nanibush and Dr. Duke Redbird, in our last session.

• 

• 

Agenda: Here’s What To Expect From this Recording –

• Land Acknowledgment by Melissa Smith, Assistant Curator, Community Programs
• Welcome by Stephan Jost, Director and CEO [5mins]
• Learning Objectives and Framing of NAC10 by Audrey Hudson, Chief of Education and Programming  [5mins]
• Introductions by Audrey Hudson [5mins]
• Questions posed by Paola Poletto [10mins]
• Presentations by Louise Miteouamigoukoue Spiritcougar Lefevre and Mahlikah Awe:ri Enml’ga’t Saqama’sgw [20mins each, =40mins]
• Questions posed by Paola Poletto, Director, Engagement & Learning [8mins]
• Q&A from audience [10mins]
• Wrap up by Audrey Hudson [2mins]

How to Access this Recording:

Please click on this link:

https://zoom.us/rec/share/_bJuTnFWdHfzG3_JjY04ddEgpb_1J7_ckUpGKae8xbKf8ij41PSBKUhVJn9X88Su.–xVrxScEn256796

Enter Passcode: D&ITrainingSession4  (hint: copy and paste this link for ease!)

You will be asked to enter your name and email to gain access to the recording.

Things to Keep in Mind:

• These videos are pre-recorded webinars, not live.
• A tip: when you register for the webinar, use Google Chrome (instead of Explorer) to watch. If your computer defaults to opening in Explorer, copy the link and re-open in Chrome (you may need to re-register) but it makes for much smoother viewing!
• If you need more support, please reach out to [email protected] for assistance.
• Keep a list of questions/reflections you’d like to share in one of our Volunteer Connector calls – these sessions are your opportunity to discuss and share what you’ve learned with fellow volunteers

Related Readings – Here’s a Resource List to Learn More About the Ideas and Issues introduced in this recording:

A Continued Conversation on Residential Schools (originally broadcast Tuesday June 8, 1pm) Moderated by Audrey Hudson, Chief of Education & Programming with panelists, Robert Durocher, Vice-Principal, Wandering Spirit School, TDSB;  Jenny Kay Dupuis, Author; and Lindsay “Eekwol” Knight, Hip Hop Artist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKpYD1n9pag&t=2s

Most recently, Mahlikah Awe:ri Enml’ga’t Saqama’sgw joined AGOinsider for an interview on Indigenous art education, and its importance for generations to come: https://ago.ca/agoinsider/we-are-land

Facing Canada: A facing history community blog. This article links to the Dish with One Spoon Wampum – https://facingcanada.facinghistory.org/the-dish-with-one-spoon-wampum

Historica Canada offers a portal on Indigenous History (including lesson plans): http://education.historicacanada.ca/en/collections/18

The University of Alberta offers a complimentary course on Indigenous Canada, a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from the Faculty of Native Studies that explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada. From an Indigenous perspective, this course explores key issues facing Indigenous peoples today from a historical and critical perspective highlighting national and local Indigenous-settler relations.

As National Indigenous History Month continues, we’ve compiled a list of arts organizations that amplify, connect and support the advancement of Indigenous creatives.

June brings a recognition of the history and heritage of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in what is known as Canada. That said, it’s crucial to recognize the advancements and accomplishments of Indigenous peoples—not just this month but all year round. From visual art, curatorial practice, fashion, film, storytelling and more, Indigenous creativity encompasses a wide breadth. 

By no means a comprehensive or definitive list, the organizations included here (linked, here) are just a few of many mandated to foster contemporary Indigenous creative output in Canadian and global communities. All are proudly led and operated by Indigenous peoples.  

Volunteers, I wanted to share a thank you from Audrey Hudson, and an update on the Spiritual Ceremony held last week at the Gallery. – Holly

Dear Colleagues,

I want to say thank you to everyone who helped organize and participate in yesterday’s spiritual ceremony to remember and honour the thousands of children who never returned home from Residential Schools, the survivors, and all those who are still missing.

It was beautiful.

There were two wonderful Fire Keepers who started us off by building a sacred fire in the pouring rain with a thank you to Creator. The medicines of tobacco, sweetgrass, cedar and sage filled the park with goodness. The visual memorial of shoes placed in a spiral in Walker Court was powerful as we keep the children, survivors and families in our thoughts. Also in Walker Court, the Red Bear Singers graced us with their hand drumming and songs that carried resilience, pain and survivance.

The senior Indigenous artist we worked with, who is a residential school survivor, was truly appreciative that everyone was able to come together under the given circumstances.

Thank you everyone for your support.  

My best,

Audrey

Audrey Hudson

Richard & Elizabeth Currie Chief, Education & Programming

Dear Everyone,

At the Annual Meeting last week, Bob Harding, outgoing president of the board, announced the next president of the AGO Board of Trustees: Rupert Duchesne.

Rupert is a passionate supporter of the arts and has served as a vice president for several years. He is a corporate executive, advisor and director and past chair of the Brain Canada Foundation and former director of the Toronto International Festival of Authors and the Royal Conservatory of Music. He was appointed CEO of Mattamy Ventures in 2020, part of Mattamy Asset Management, and was also the founding CEO of Aimia Inc., which he led from 2005 to early 2017.

The Annual Meeting also included the appointment of two co-chairs, Rupert Duchesne and Jay Smith, who were named to these positions to recognized their distinguished service and significant contributions to the AGO. For more information, please read the media release.

I’m sincerely grateful for Bob’s leadership of the board over the past four years. He has been the stable foundation on which the AGO has stood this past year, and we all owe him a massive thank you!

I look forward to working with Rupert as we continue to advance the AGO’s mission of art, audiences and learning. It’s an exciting time as the Province gradually reopens!

Stephan

Podcasting about art isn’t an obvious choice. No pictures, for starters. But what if a more accessible way into contemporary art isn’t through looking, but by listening?

It’s a proposition that British actor Russell Tovey and art dealer Robert Diament, the hosts and creators of the podcast series Talk Art, have brought joyously to life – and now to the page.

Propelled by the pair’s enthusiasm, each hour-long episode (listen, here) features them in conversation with a contemporary artist, curator or collector. Minus the big words and conceptual framing devices typical of art world chatter, Tovey and Diament give their guests a place to talk in depth about what they do. Launched in August 2018, what began as a lark has blossomed into more than 150 episodes, one million downloads, listeners in over 60 countries, and most recently, a book to recap the journey thus far. Read more, here (via AGOinsider)

In celebration of National Indigenous History Month, our latest quiz tests your knowledge of an essential cornerstone of the AGO Collection: Indigenous art.

Tuesday, June 22, 4 pm via Zoom (register, here)

Koomuatuk (Kuzy) Curley is sculptor, director and videographer from Kinngait, NU. Curley’s grandparents taught him how to carve during the summers he spent as a child at their outpost camp near Kinngait and began his professional carving career while in junior high school, becoming the third generation carver of his family. In 2014 Curley directed his film Kiawak Ashoona and has exhibited his work across Canada including iNuit Blanche in 2016, St. John’s, NL. Curley was part of the Inuit curatorial team for the exhibition Tunnirrusiangit: Kenojuak Ashevak and Tim Pitsiulak at AGO in 2018.

Georgiana Uhlyarik is Fredrik S. Eaton Curator, Canadian Art, and co-lead of the Indigenous + Canadian Art Department at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto. She co-curated: Tunirrusiangit: Kenojuak Ashevak and Tim Pitsiulak, the J.S. McLean Centre for Indigenous + Canadian Art, Introducing Suzy Lake, among several international collaborations. Originally from Romania, she lives in Toronto with her twin sons.

Thursday, June 24, 1 pm via Zoom (register, here)

Join artist Shuvinai Ashoona in conversation with Wanda Nanibush, the AGO’s Curator, Indigenous Art, for a conversation about her work and the exhibition Shuvinai Ashoona: Beyond the Visible. Ashoona is the descendant of a deep artistic legacy through her grandmother Pitseolak, a widely revered illustrator. Ashoona’s work is characterized by a confident sense of colour, a sure hand, and a unique vision.

Shuvinai Ashoona received the 2018 Gershon Iskowitz Prize at the AGO, which is awarded each year to recognize an individual’s contribution to Canadian art and to support their future work. One such work is Curiosity (2019), a drawing acquired by the AGO at Art Toronto 2020, measuring an astonishing 8.7 feet (2.65 metres) wide. Offering a bird’s eye view of her hometown of Kinngait, seven giant monsters in soft pastels crawl with great curiosity over houses and buildings.

Wanda Nanibush is Curator, Indigenous Art at the AGO. Selected AGO exhibitions include Karoo Ashevak (2019), Rebecca Belmore Facing the Monumental (2018), JS McLean Centre for Indigenous & Canadian Art (2018), Rita Letendre: Fire & Light (2017), Toronto: Tributes + Tributaries, 1971-1989 (2016).

We are honoured to continue this series of Diversity & Inclusion recordings, part of the Gallery’s commitment to building a more diverse and inclusive staff and volunteer community.

In this session, we meet two of the AGO’s Indigenous Art Educators, Louise Miteouamigoukoue Spiritcougar Lefevre and Mahlikah Awe:ri Enml’ga’t Saqama’sgw, who so generously share their teaching expertise with us. In this discussion, they share how Indigenous art education is presented in school programs at the Gallery. This is particularly in relation to “NAC 10” – a course for Grade 9 TDSB students that frames an expression of First Nations, Inuit and Metis culture in an immersive experience at the Gallery.

This presentation helps us to deepen our understanding of indigenous art history, and build on parts of the conversation started by Wanda Nanibush and Dr. Duke Redbird, in our last session.

• 

• 

Agenda/ Here’s What to Expect in this Recording:

• Land Acknowledgment by Melissa Smith, Assistant Curator, Community Programs
• Welcome by Stephan Jost, Director and CEO [5mins]
• Learning Objectives and Framing of NAC10 by Audrey Hudson, Chief of Education and Programming  [5mins]
• Introductions by Audrey Hudson [5mins]
• Questions posed by Paola Poletto [10mins]
• Presentations by Louise Miteouamigoukoue Spiritcougar Lefevre and Mahlikah Awe:ri Enml’ga’t Saqama’sgw [20mins each, =40mins]
• Questions posed by Paola Poletto, Director, Engagement & Learning [8mins]
• Q&A from audience [10mins]
• Wrap up by Audrey Hudson [2mins]

How to Access this Recording:

Please click on this link:

https://zoom.us/rec/share/_bJuTnFWdHfzG3_JjY04ddEgpb_1J7_ckUpGKae8xbKf8ij41PSBKUhVJn9X88Su.–xVrxScEn256796

Enter Passcode: D&ITrainingSession4  (hint: copy and paste this link for ease!)

You will be asked to enter your name and email to gain access to the recording

Things to Keep in Mind:

• These videos are pre-recorded webinars, not live.
• A tip: when you register for the webinar, use Google Chrome (instead of Explorer) to watch. If your computer defaults to opening in Explorer, copy the link and re-open in Chrome (you may need to re-register) but it makes for much smoother viewing!
• If you need more support, please reach out to [email protected] for assistance.
• Keep a list of questions/reflections you’d like to share in one of our Volunteer Connector calls – these sessions are your opportunity to discuss and share what you’ve learned with fellow volunteers

Related Readings – Here’s a Resource List to Learn More About the Ideas and Issues introduced in this recording:

A Continued Conversation on Residential Schools (originally broadcast Tuesday June 8, 1pm) Moderated by Audrey Hudson, Chief of Education & Programming with panelists, Robert Durocher, Vice-Principal, Wandering Spirit School, TDSB;  Jenny Kay Dupuis, Author; and Lindsay “Eekwol” Knight, Hip Hop Artist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKpYD1n9pag&t=2s

Most recently, Mahlikah Awe:ri Enml’ga’t Saqama’sgw joined AGOinsider for an interview on Indigenous art education, and its importance for generations to come: https://ago.ca/agoinsider/we-are-land

Facing Canada: A facing history community blog. This article links to the Dish with One Spoon Wampum – https://facingcanada.facinghistory.org/the-dish-with-one-spoon-wampum

Historica Canada offers a portal on Indigenous History (including lesson plans): http://education.historicacanada.ca/en/collections/18

The University of Alberta offers a complimentary course on Indigenous Canada, a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from the Faculty of Native Studies that explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada. From an Indigenous perspective, this course explores key issues facing Indigenous peoples today from a historical and critical perspective highlighting national and local Indigenous-settler relations.

SAVE-the-DATE: Our Volunteer Connector call to share what we’ve learned in this session will be held Wednesday June 30 at 5pm – zoom link to follow!

Dear Everyone,

We are all still grieving the deaths of 215 Indigenous children at the former Kamloops Residential School, especially as more graves are expected to be uncovered at sites across Canada. We want to remember and honour all those who suffered trauma within the walls of those schools and beyond. 

Children’s shoes have become a powerful symbol. We will be asking the public to help us build a visual memorial by donating shoes on the steps of the Gallery, from tomorrow to June 20. This was announced on social media just a short while ago.

We are still working on developing this tribute, which may include a ceremonial element. Details are still being discussed, and I will share more information as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Stephan