Four Outstanding Indigenous Artists Create Giant Murals in Canada’s Capital Region
News release
OTTAWA, June 21, 2018
To mark National Indigenous Peoples Day, nākatēyimisowin – Taking Care of Oneself opens today in Ottawa in the pedestrian tunnel under Wellington Street at the Portage bridge. Randy Boissonnault, Member of Parliament (Edmonton Centre), on behalf of the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, invites the public to enjoy this unique and thought-provoking exhibit.
Four artists spent four days painting large-scale murals in the tunnel, creating images that invite the viewer to consider how vulnerability and reflection are both integral and beneficial to active resistance.
The exhibit was curated by Joi T. Arcand, a photo-based artist from Muskeg Lake Cree Nation – Treaty 6 Territory in Saskatchewan, currently living in Ottawa. Ms. Arcand is one of five artists shortlisted for the 2018 Sobey Art Award.
The artists responsible for these murals and the titles of their work are:
- Glenn Gear
Ommatik – Heart (translation from Inuttitut, Labrador) - Tara-Lynn Kozma-Perrin
We Are Resilient - Cedar-Eve Peters
Shifting of Energies - Michelle Sound
Kahkiyaw acāhkosak – All the Stars (translation from Plains Cree)
This a collaborative project between Canadian Heritage and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.
Nākatēyimisowin – Taking Care of Oneself is exhibited as part of the Art in the Capital program, which aims to raise the profile of Canadian public art in the urban spaces of Canada’s Capital region.
Quotes
“Today, National Indigenous Peoples Day, is a time to celebrate, share and learn about Indigenous culture. Art finds a way to reach us when words are not enough. These young artists speak to our hearts and open our minds to the ways in which they experience life. I am very excited that the Art in the Capital program continues to put public art in unexpected places, enhancing the experience of visiting and living in Canada’s Capital Region.”
—The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage
“This wonderful exhibit is dedicated to the display of works by emerging Indigenous artists. Culture is a living thing, and sharing it with others brings us together. I invite visitors and residents of Canada’s Capital Region to enjoy this unique underground art gallery.”
—Randy Boissonnault, Member of Parliament (Edmonton Centre)
Quick facts
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Nākatēyimisowin – Taking Care of Oneself will be on display until October 2019.
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The artists painted on plywood panels that range in size from 8 by 23.5 feet to 8 by 28 feet. They used exterior house paint and a combination of techniques and free-hand brush work to create their vision.
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The tunnel is lit at twilight so the murals can be experienced at night.
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This is the second of two tunnels in the pedestrian pathway that profile Indigenous artists. Its companion exhibit, From here to there (then and now), was installed in late 2017 next to the parking lot of the Mill Street Brew Pub.
Associated links
Contacts
For more information (media only), please contact:
Simon Ross
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage
819-997-7788
Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
pch.media-media.pch@canada.ca
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