THE WAY AHEAD:
SURVEYING THE CURATORIAL LANDSCAPE
(Colloquium Panel and Presentation Overview)
prepared by Barry Ace

Urban Shaman Gallery
March 17th – 19th, 2006
Winnipeg, Manitoba

(CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE)

March 19, 2006

The final day of the conference got underway with Provincial, National and Global Opportunities and Exchanges. This session had been scheduled as the last session on March 18, 2006, but due to the extensive debate surrounding the BRMF and Aboriginal Advisory Committee, it was moved to March 19, 2006.

The session began with a Power Point presentation by Robin Mader, Trade Commissioner, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada Market Support Division. Robin's area of expertise is in the Aboriginal Cultural Industries. Robin provided a history and mandate of her sector, and noted that she can provide help and offer guidance and logistical support to direct and connect clients with the right people. Robin's portfolio includes Canadian cultural goods and services, assisting all aspects of Canadian cultural industries. For a comprehensive overview, Robin has provided a copy of her Power Point presentation. Please clip this link to access the presentation (insert link here).

Louise Profeit-Leblanc spoke about the Aboriginal Arts Secretarait and some of the programs offered to assist in the development of the Aboriginal arts in Canada. One program mentioned was the Artists and Community Collaboration Fund. This fund is a designated investment that increases the Canada Council for the Arts' commitment to the diverse artistic activities that bring together professional artists and the broader community. Through this, it gives the arts a stronger presence in everyday life. This is an opportunity for communities to express themselves through creative collaborations with leading professional artists. Another important program mentioned was the Aboriginal Peoples Collaborative Exchange National and International: Travel Grants. The Aboriginal Peoples Collaborative Exchange program assists Aboriginal artists (individuals) or artistic groups from Aboriginal communities to travel to other Aboriginal communities to share traditional and/or contemporary knowledge or practices that will contribute to the development of their artistic practice. The program fosters unique artistic relationships and networks through these collaborative exchanges among Aboriginal artists across all disciplines. Louise concluded with a discussion on the pilot program Elder/Youth Program: Support for Aboriginal Artistic Practices. Since the Canada Council created the Aboriginal Peoples Collaborative Exchange program, more people have been asking how to obtain funds for two underserved segments of the Aboriginal arts community: the Elders (senior artists) and the youth (ages 15-25). The Canada Council has realized that Aboriginal Elders and youth-the two segments of the community involved in passing on art practices-have not been regularly applying for arts funding.

Many of the Elders (senior artists) found the paperwork cumbersome, and the youth of the communities were ineligible because of their age. The Elder/Youth Legacy pilot program solves this by offering program funding to Aboriginal arts organizations that wish to work with these two groups on a project basis. This program is not limited to traditional art forms-it encompasses all forms of the arts. First, the organization will choose the Elder who will work with their youth. That Elder will then help to decide the number of young people he or she will work with, and will help to select them. Jazz de Montigny, Program Consultant, Aboriginal Arts provided a history of the establishment of the Aboriginal Arts Program at the Manitoba Arts Council. Jazz noted that when she was first hired for the position, there was literally no mandate. She had to develop it on her own, and she decided to consult the community. Jazz travelled throughout Manitoba meeting with artists and arts professionals, and deliberately chose not to meet with Chiefs and Councils. She also went to recognized Elders for guidance to ensure that she would get it right and ensure that she was doing her job right. From that rocky road, Jazz has continued to work towards improving both programs and services offered by the Aboriginal Arts program. Some of the programs Jazz administers includes the Aboriginal Arts Creative Development Pilot Projects initiative that is designed to enable Aboriginal artists in all arts disciplines, including dance/music, drumming, singing, carving, painting, storytelling, new media, writing, theatre or crafts, to create or produce new works over a three month period; the Aboriginal Arts Mentorship Training and Development Grant that aims to promote excellence in Aboriginal arts in Manitoba by providing financial assistance to individual artists so they can reach their next level of artistic and career development. These could include skills development, apprenticeships, professional training, or mentorships that share artistic and cultural skills and knowledge; the Community Connections and Access Program that is designed to address specific needs identified by artists who face barriers to equal opportunities in artistic and professional development and presentation. The program will fund projects to address the needs of the emerging and professional artists in communities that are disadvantaged or under-served; and the Artist In Community Residency Program designed to assist incorporated, non-profit organizations in Manitoba with the opportunity to respond to community development needs in, or through, the arts by engaging Manitoba artists to work in Manitoba communities for a specified period of time. In this program artists will engage with the broader community or public in ways that are meaningful and relevant towards the outcome of individual and community development. The artist(s) must be working with a community that would not otherwise be engaged in the arts.

Wanda Nanibush, Aboriginal Arts Officer, Ontario Arts Council discussed the various granting programs for individuals and organizations. She outlined her role within the Ontario Arts Council and how she has been involved in consultation with artists and communities in both southern and northern Ontario. Wanda noted that many of the granting programs including the new Aboriginal Arts Education Projects (Expanding Artists in Education). She noted that Aboriginal Peoples have strong and diverse cultures, languages and traditions that are integral to their sense of identity and contribute to Ontario's artistic diversity. Also that OAC will build on its recognition of traditional and contemporary Aboriginal art and artists by continuing to provide opportunities for arts education projects where Aboriginal artists can engage learners in their language, culture and artistic practices. Wanda further noted that this program is open to practicing Aboriginal artists who wish to work with learners, educators, communities, youth, children, adults and inmates. It is also open to non-arts organizations, arts organizations, non-profits, schools, ad-hoc groups and collectives conducting and coordinating arts education projects with Aboriginal artists and learners.

Another program that Aboriginal artists and organizations should consider is the Aboriginal Art Projects grant. Wanda noted that it is specifically designed to develop opportunities for Aboriginal artists to engage with Aboriginal communities and to strengthen the relationship of Aboriginal organizations and communities with the arts and Aboriginal artists. She further explained that this program is open to professional, Ontario-based Aboriginal artists, including artists' collectives and not-for-profit Aboriginal organizations, centres and councils, and that OAC does not fund activities, events or projects that have taken place before the program deadline date or that have been completed before the results of the competition have been announced. One final exciting new initiative noted was the Access and Career Development. Wanda noted that this is a new Ontario Arts Council (OAC) program that supports Ontario-based Aboriginal arts professionals and arts professionals of colour. The program will fund professional development and skill-building opportunities that advance the applicants' artistic work and careers. She further noted that in keeping with its strategic plan, Stability and Strength, the OAC is committed to reflecting the cultural diversity and Aboriginal identity of the province through its programs. The OAC also recognizes that there continue to be systemic barriers for arts professionals of colour and Aboriginal arts professionals. Part of the solution is the launch of Access and Career Development to support the cultural diversity of Ontario's arts sector. In this program, applicants can request funding for training, mentoring or apprenticing in all contemporary and traditional art practices.

Cathy Mattes spoke of her extensive curatorial work with both the Winnipeg Art Gallery and as curator with the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba (AGSM), Brandon, Manitoba. She spoke of her exhibitions Rielism and her extensive exhibition programming at the AGSM. Cathy noted difficulties of working within the institutional paradigm, and the difficulties balancing exhibitions and representation, and also of the difficulties of competing for limited funding with institutions seeking to share Aboriginal representation in their programming. Mattes noted the increased freedom of working as an independent curator, particularly for her as a working mother, and work related challenges and their impact on spending time with her family. Mattes also spoke of her travel to the 2006 Venice Biennale to view the artists represented, including Ojibway artist, Rebecca Belmore, and her work Fountain. Rebecca was the selected artist who was chosen to represent Canada. As well, Cathy spoke of her participation and observation of the Symposium entitled Vision, Space and Desire: Global Perspectives and Cultural Hybridity, curated by Dr. Gerald McMaster on December 13, 2005 at the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti. Cathy also spoke about her new interest in dance, in particular, hip hop, and the possibility of exploring this new and emerging contemporary practice, and the opportunity for international collaboration with diverse groups, including Australia. Cathy stressed the importance of access to international opportunities and international collaborations that must be recognized by Canadian funding organizations. She concluded that it is an opportunity to address, challenge and transform the diverse cultural paradigms that exist between peoples in the international community.

In the next session, Marcia Crosby moderated Art Speak. This session provided participants to acknowledge the challenges and opportunities for Aboriginal curators, academics, artists and arts professionals working with an educational setting. Issues pertaining to new research methodologies, critical writings, art history texts, Master and Doctoral Theses, conferences and symposiums, visiting artist programs and practicum placements are new opportunities for our community. The difficulty in accessing tenured positions, Aboriginal produced resources and publications are on-going challenges. The lack or development and articulation of a lexicon of Aboriginal art terminologies remain to be challenges. The longstanding recognition and validation of non-Aboriginal "experts" in the area of Aboriginal arts and the lack of room accorded for the Aboriginal academic maintains the differential in the institutional power structure and voice of authority.

Kathleen Ash Milby provided background information on the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Lower Manhattan, the George Gustav Heye Center. The NMAI opened on Oct. 30, 1994, in the historic Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, one of the most splendid Beaux-Arts buildings in New York. The museum features year-round exhibitions, dance and music performances, children's workshops, family and school programs, film festivals and video screenings that present the diversity of the Native peoples of the Americas and the strength of their cultures from the earliest times to the present. The New York museum welcomes over a quarter million visitors a year, and it is one of three locations of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. Founded by an Act of Congress in 1989 that appropriated funds for the development of facilities at three sites from the former Museum of the American Indian, the museum includes the New York City location, opened in 1994; the Cultural Resources Center, six miles southeast of the National Mall in Suitland, Maryland., opened in 1999; and the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., which opened in September 2004. The museum hosts a selection of changing exhibitions that present and reaffirm the Native voice. The schedule includes exhibitions selected from the museum's renowned collection as well as significant traveling exhibitions from other institutions. The museum hosts Native musicians, dancers, artists and elders in presentations of their art and cultural heritage and in informal programs that invite them to share directly with museum visitors the life ways and world views of Native peoples.

Kathleen Ash-Milby spoke about her personal challenges and opportunities that she faced as an emerging curator. Kathleen noted that throughout her professional development she had to literally make space for herself, and that waiting around for an invitation or opportunity was not an option. She offered to the participants that in order to "make space", you must continue to write and present at as many conferences and symposiums as you are able. Kathleen stated that sometimes, you must even go as far as to approach the conference organizers with your research and papers for consideration and inclusion. Kathleen noted that one would be surprised how often that a lack of an Aboriginal perspective is simply an oversight, and that for the most part, many organizers will be responsive and excited to include you in their events. Kathleen also stressed that this is an excellent opportunity for an emerging curator or critical writer to have their work published, aside from the major publishers, for most academic conferences and symposiums publish their papers post-symposium. Kathleen also noted that in our critic of the lack of publishing opportunities, it is far too easy to simply complain, and she encouraged the participants to correct these discrepancies by offering solutions instead of criticisms. Involvement in organizations such as the Native American Arts Studies Association or other pertinent organizations also provides and important network and opportunities for publications. Kathleen sees her role as facilitator, encouraging opportunities to improve the visibility, access and participation of the Native American curator, writer and artist.

Dr. Carmen Robertson provided background information on the formation of the First Nations University of Canada, and the establishment of the Indian Fine Arts program. The First Nations University of Canada was established in 1976 as the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College (SIFC) through a federated partnership with the University of Regina. The University is independently administered offering post-secondary education in a culturally supportive First Nations' environment. The First Nations University of Canada offers its programs and services on three campuses: Prince Albert (Northern Campus), Regina, and Saskatoon, in addition to various communities across Saskatchewan and Canada. The First Nations University of Canada now offers undergraduate and graduate degrees within an environment of Indian culture and history combining First Nation-oriented and standard areas of study in all programs. Dr. Robertson noted that the First Nations University of Canada's Department of Indian Fine Arts teaches the history of Indian art, and is proud of the people who created this history, including recently deceased Métis artist and educator Bob Boyer. Carmen recounted her experiences working with Bob and how knowledgeable, dedicated and engaged he was in his professional career. Carmen also noted the difficulties and challenges she undertook while working and pursuing her doctoral studies. She spoke to issues pertaining to finding the appropriate balance between work and studies, and finding the support and encouragement in a mentor such as Bob Boyer essential. Like Ash-Milby, Carmen stressed the importance of publishing and presenting at conferences and symposiums. Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design was founded in 1925 and is one of British Columbia's oldest post-secondary institutions, whose mission is to create a learning community devoted to excellence and innovation in Visual Arts, Media Arts and Design. Dana Claxton spoke on the challenges of her work as an Adjunct Professor at Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design. Difficulties in accessing resources and related materials documenting the history of Aboriginal visual arts in Canada and difficulties faced by many academics in compiling this material into a useable course material remains challenging. As a practicing curator, executive producer, director and interdisciplinary artist working in film and video, installation, and performance art, her personal experience has provided her with access to materials, but again, this remains not universally accessible, nor standardized.

Dana noted that the recent publication Transference, Tradition, Technology, edited by Dana Claxton, Melanie Townsend, and Steven Loft for the Walter Phillips Gallery Editions in association with Indigenous Media Art Group and Art Gallery of Hamilton is a contribution to filling the gap in Aboriginal produced publications. This publication is an important contribution to Aboriginal art history and discourse, and presents an impressive contribution by Indian, Inuit and Metis scholarship.

The final session of the day and of the colloquium was moderated by William Kingfisher entitled the Curatorial Practice and Beyond. This forum was open to the participants to discuss their work, research or programs. Each participant was accorded a maximum of 10 minutes each. This timeframe provide an opportunity to accommodate as many presenters as possible, and it kept up the pace to keep the presenters focused and the participants engaged.

Artist presentations:

1. Jamie Warren: Walter Phillips Gallery. Jamie presented her work as an emerging artist and discussed important thematic concerns in her work, while revealing an impressive body of work.

2. Heather Igloliorte: Carleton University Art Gallery. Heather presented an overview of her exhibition entitled By the Book?: Early Influences on Inuit Art on exhibition from 13 February - 16 April 2006. Heather spoke on how, in 1951 the Canadian Guild of Crafts, funded by the Department of Resources and Development and in co-operation with the Hudson's Bay Company, published an instructional pamphlet entitled Sunuyusuk: Eskimo Handicrafts. Written and illustrated by the Guild's Arctic Representative, James Houston, the pamphlet offered suggestions to the Inuit on what they should make, what materials to use, and what would sell to a Southern art market. Heather noted that the exhibition of over 50 prints, sculptures and art objects were selected from Carleton University Art Gallery's collection of Inuit art and supplemented by loans from the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Canadian Guild of Crafts, Quebec, and examined the influence that Eskimo Handicrafts had on early contemporary Inuit carving and handicraft production in Arctic Canada.

3. Nadia Myre presented a slide and digital presentation of her work. She provided a brief overview of her mixed media work, paintings, drawings and new media works. Nadia spoke about her most recent work entitled The Scar Project. Nadia explained that the every individual bears the scars left by time and the confluence of moments and events. These scar stories thread through our identity, active or dormant within us, unveiling their various stigmas. Wanting to explore this emotional landscape, Nadia Myre initiated The Scar Project, driven by the idea of recording and sharing personal histories. Nadia noted that The Scar Project is a participatory work in progress that will travel to a number of communities across Canada. Nadia created a web site (www.nadiamyre.com) where workshops, dates and locations will be posted, as well as a gallery of all the scar canvasses with their stories.

4. Jim Logan, Program Officer of the Canada Council for the Arts noted that he is responsible for the Aboriginal Curatorial Residency Program and Artist-Run-Centers from Ontario (Ottawa and western part of the province, including Toronto), British Columbia, the Prairie provinces, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Jim noted that the Artist-Run-Center program offers financial assistance to artist-run centres that provide visual artists and their audiences with an informed and professional forum for research, production, presentation, promotion and dissemination of new works in contemporary visual arts. The program also contributes to various services offered to visual artists, in addition to activities such as discussions, symposiums or publications on issues arising from visual arts practices. Artist-Run-Centres are funded based on a demonstrated professional commitment to artists in contemporary visual arts, their practices and their concerns. To be eligible, an Artist-Run-Centre must be an incorporated, non-profit Canadian organization and must be directed by a board composed of a majority of practising contemporary visual artists have a primary mandate to encourage research, production, presentation, promotion and dissemination of new works in contemporary visual arts. They must also maintain a permanent, dedicated space that is accessible to the public pay artists' fees to those participating in their programming activities that are at least at the level recommended by CARFAC/RAAV, and they must have maintained an annual program of artistic activities, accessible to the public, for a minimum of three consecutive years, if they are a new applicant. For this program, the visual arts include drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, print-making, architecture, craft and installation. Jim also explained that Artist-run centres may also include video, film, new media, audio, interdisciplinary and performance artworks in their programming. However, centres with primary activities in these fields must apply to the Media Arts Section or the Inter-Arts Program. Artist-run centres that receive multi-year or annual assistance from the Visual Arts Section and present a series of at least four performances each year, or that produce a major performance event, are also eligible for funding from the Inter-Arts Program. Jim noted that there are a lot of challenges facing Artist-Run-Centres, and improved consultation is an important step towards improving the program. Jim concluded that organizations like the ACC/CCA are important resources and source for advocating change and bringing important issue to the attention of Canada Council for the Arts.

5. Joanna BigFeather presented her promotional video on an amazing national touring exhibition entitled Native Views: Influences of Modern Culture in collaboration with Artrain USA. Artrain USA is America's Hometown Art Museum, and as a nonprofit organization, its mission is to enrich lives and build communities through the arts. As an art museum housed in vintage rail cars and traveling via the nation's railways. Artrain USA brings world class art exhibitions and art education programs to communities and their residents. Artrain USA delivers exceptional opportunities for learning, growth and art appreciation while encouraging the development of local cultural programs and organizations. Artrain USA is currently showcasing Native Views: Influences of Modern Culture, a contemporary Native American art exhibition. Joanna noted that the exhibition comprises of 71 artworks by 54 Native American artists, and that Native Views explores the influence of popular culture and the many commonalties shared by all Americans. Visitors will discover the richness, complexity and breadth of contemporary Native American art while examining varying perspectives on society. As guest curator, Joanna Bigfeather (Western Cherokee and Mescalero Apache) is clearly redefining Native art by broadening the limits and confronting the stereotypes that currently define it.

6. Ron Noganosh spoke on the challengers pertaining to the development of his art practice. He noted the difficulties in making a living as a practicing artist, and that most artists must also find work in other areas to supplement their income. Ron noted that this is not the case in other countries. For example, there are some countries who have developed a retirement program for accommodation of senior artists. In Canada, Noganosh noted that there exists no health care program for artists, nor is there a retirement fund upon which artists can draw from. Another issue raised by Ron was the low fees paid by institutions for the use of images and for exhibition fees. Ron stressed the importance of paying artists appropriately. Ron spoke of his travels to other countries and meeting artists, for example, in Costa Rica. These international opportunities are important for artists to share and network. In response to the curatorial practice, Ron stressed the importance of developing an artist registry of works. This would be an importance resource for works by artists and improve exhibition opportunities. Ron concluded his presentation discussing his work including his work with found objects and his new body of paintings entitled the Woodpecker School of Art.

7. Bonnie Devine Artist and Curator and Celeste Scopelites Director/Curator of the Sudbury Art Gallery discussed the upcoming work on a retrospective of Daphne Odjig. Bonnie noted that in 2004, she was involved in a commission for Native Earth Performing Arts in Toronto to create a set design and costumes based on the life and work of Daphne Odjig. After traveling to Penticton, British Columbia, Bonnie had the opportunity to meet Daphne. It was after this meeting that Bonnie realized the immense contribution this artist has made, in spite of the exclusionary and often racist assumptions surrounding her work and as an Odawa woman. After researching her exhibitions, Bonnie noted that the last retrospective exhibition of her paintings was in 1985. Organized by the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, the show traveled to Laurentian University Art Gallery in Sudbury, the McMichael Collection in Kleinburg and the Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford - four venues in Ontario. The exhibition will feature works that traverse he career, and it will include major works. The accompanying catalogue will document her impressive career and prolific output of works. Bonnie noted that the exhibition is timely, especially when contrasted to the National Gallery of Canada's solo exhibition of the works of Ojibway painter Norval Morrisseau. Bonnie stressed the importance of touring this exhibition to ensure that all have the opportunity to experience Daphne's work, and touring may be possible through, for example, the NGC's national exhibition touring program. 8. Ryan Rice presented on the Montreal-based Aboriginal artist collective Nation to Nation. Rice noted that Nation to Nation is a collective of First Nations artists whose main goals are to create a forum for dialogue on First Nations art, culture and issues; and to function as a catalyst for creative expression. Rice stated as artists, we believe that creativity is a fundamental link which brings all aspects of community together. To achieve these goals, we curate exhibitions and organize events, performances and workshops. Speaking on the history, Ryan stated that Nation To Nation began officially in April 1994 when Skawennati Tricia Fragnito, Ryan Rice and Eric Robertson banded together to present the creativity found within our communities. The phrase "nation to nation" comes from Iroquois teachings about the traditional Kahswentha Two Row wampum, a treaty which embodies the idea of respect for a people's customs, as one nation to another: Mohawk, Dutch, Seneca, American etc. As a collective of contemporary Native artists, we use the phrase to express the idea of dialogue between people and peoples, as individuals, artist's groups, communities and countries. It also refers to the idea of movement; rather than focus on securing a permanent home, Nation to Nation, as a constantly mutating collective, will move nomadically from space to space, city to city, nation to nation. From the outset, Nation to Nation remained true to their aims, continuing to organize events to keep them active and creative, while bringing together Natives and non-Natives, artists and non-artists. Nation to Nation were instrumental in offering creative and innovative events including exhibitions such as Native Love and Tattoo Nation, and memorable events such as Art Bingo and An Evening with Evan Adams. Nation to Nation continued to push the boundaries by entering into the cyber domain with Cyber Pow Wow. Cyber Pow Wow featured works hosted on-line by the Palace, and rooms and avatars were created for participants and artists to communicate on-line.

Access to Cyber Pow Wow was hosted in gallery spaces by a site administrator, providing a space for artists and participants to gather and engage in the cyber event. Ryan noted that the future of Nation to Nation will involve specific projects, and it is not certain if there will be a continuation of Cyber Pow Wow. For Nation to Nation it is a time of reevaluation to ensure that its programming remains timely and responsive to the community.

9. Guy Sioui Durand made a lively and engaging presentation of the history of curating Aboriginal art in the Province of Quebec. Guy noted that the are several longstanding Aboriginal cultural and artist events including Go Native, Montreal's film festival for the past 14 years, and Montreal's First Peoples' Festival featuring Indian, Metis and Inuit artists under the umbrella of Terre en vues/Land Insights. This year, Land Insights will host their 16th Festival celebrating Aboriginal arts and culture. Guy also stressed the importance of publishing from an Aboriginal perspective, and he continues to write and participate in numerous events and symposiums. He also noted the difficulties and challenges in bringing exhibitions and programming to remote communities. In particular, the Cree communities in the north of Quebec are particularly vulnerable, and efforts must be made to share artistic and cultural opportunities.

The days activities concluded with an ACC/CCA Business Meeting facilitated by Ahasiw Maskegon-Iskwew. Due to time constraints, the Tiki Wiki workshop was dropped from the agenda, in order to discuss business relating to the future of the Aboriginal Curatorial Collective, for it provided an opportunity to discuss with the membership and vote on the organizational structure, nominating committee, membership code, membership fees, and objects for incorporation and by-laws. It will also provided the participants with an opportunity to get involved in the future activities of the ACC/CCA by discussing the type of thematic caucuses required to address all areas of importance to the ACC/CCA.