UBCO’s Indigenous Art Intensive director, Tania Willard (standing) and UBC Okanagan Gallery curator Dr. Stacey Koosel participated in a panel discussion during last year’s intensive.
What: Indigenous Art Intensive, keynote presentations and artist panels
Who: Weekly speakers, UBCO students, faculty, members of the public
When: Wednesdays, May 14 to June 18, noon to 3:30 pm
Where: University Theatre, ADM 026, 1138 Alumni Avenue, UBC Okanagan
Now in its 11th year, UBC Okanagan’s Indigenous Art Intensive gathers artists, curators, writers, students and scholars to engage in ideas and dialogue rooted in contemporary Indigenous art.
The intensive includes a month-long artist residency and academic program taking place May 14 through June 18 at UBC Okanagan, situated on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation.
The uniquely immersive program connects contemporary Indigenous artists with students, faculty and the public. At the same time, it creates space for critical conversations, collaborative creation and the celebration of Indigenous art practices, explains program director Tania Willard.
“Indigenous art can help preserve cultural traditions and heritage that have been honed since time immemorial, and nurturing these traditions also allows us to pass down knowledge from one generation to the next,” she says.
Each week, the program hosts keynote talks, artist panels and community gatherings, all of which are open to the public. Events take place on campus every Wednesday until June 18, starting at noon. All events are free and the public is encouraged to attend.
This year’s roster features a dynamic group of Indigenous artists, curators and scholars, says Willard. Artists featured include Jaimie Isaac, Serena Steel, Sherry Farrell Racette, Faye Heavyshield, Joseph Naytowhow, Marie-Anne Redhead, Peter Morin, Justine Woods, Nicole Neidhardt, Catherine Blackburn, Judy Anderson, Amber Sandy, Vance Wright and Les Louis.
In addition to visiting artists, UBC Okanagan Gallery will host a special exhibition by Indigenous Art Intensive alumni, including Peter Morin, Justine Woods and Nicole Neidhardt. Their new exhibition, Troubling Times: Traces, Portals and Groundings, will be open from May 26 to August 16 at UBCO’s FINA Gallery in the Creative and Critical Studies building.
The exhibition explores the concept of troublemaking as a generous and generative act for building human experiences. Each of the featured artists will focus on honouring “trickster troublemaking and space making” from their respective ancestries through beadwork, installation, garment design and a new performance by Peter Morin.
Morin will also host a durational performance May 27 at noon in the FINA Gallery, and an exhibition reception will be held on Wednesday, May 28 from 6 to 8 pm in the Creative and Critical Studies building foyer.
“UBCO’s Indigenous Art Intensive continues to build community partnerships and collaborations by offering one of the largest Indigenous artist programs in the BC interior,” says Willard. “Many artists in our program develop works that are shown across Canada and the world. We view our intensive as an incubator of Indigenous creative practice, and we invite the public to hear, learn and participate in the weekly program.”
For the full event schedule, visit: blogs.ubc.ca/indigenousintensive
