April 30 – May 23, 2016 and May 26 – June 8, 2016
Sarah Sense (Chitimacha, Choctaw), Her Story, Our Legacy, 2015
Guest curator: Michael Patten
Atrium artwork
McCord Museum
690 Sherbrooke St W
Montreal (QC)
April 30 – June 18, 2016
Caroline Monnet (Algonquin), Concrete, 2016
Guest curator: Michael Patten
Outdoor sculpture
McCord Museum
690 Sherbrooke St W
Montreal (QC)
Saturday, May 14, 2016, 1-5 p.m.
Video screening (on loop)
Steven Yazzie (Navajo), Knowing You, Santa Fe, 5 min. 57 s
Guest curator: Michael Patten
J.A. Bombardier Theatre
McCord Museum
690 Sherbrooke St W
Montreal (QC)
PANEL DISCUSSIONS
Saturday, May 21 from 2-4 p.m.
Le statut de l’objet dans l’art autochtone presented by Espace art actuel (In French) with Jean-Philippe Uzel, Stéfan St-Laurent, Eruoma Awashish (Atikamekw), Sylvie Paré (Huron-Wendat)
J.A. Bombardier Theatre
Wednesday June 8, at 6 p.m.
Le rôle des artistes dans la représentation cinématographique des cultures autochtones avec Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki), Nadine St-Louis (Métis), et Michelle Van Beusekom
J.A. Bombardier Theatre
Special screening of the short films from the NFB Souvenir Collection
J.A. Bombardier Theatre
McCord Museum
690 Sherbrooke St W
Montreal (QC)
Text by Suzanne Sauvage
President and Chief Executive Officer
The McCord Museum is delighted to take part in the third edition of the Contemporary Native Art Biennial organized by the gallery Art Mûr under the theme Culture Shift – Une révolution culturelle. With its mission of celebrating Montreal’s past and present, its history and communities, and its major collection of First Peoples objects, the Museum is an ideal partner for this event.
The representation of the culture and history of First Peoples has always been at the heart of the McCord Museum’s mission. The permanent exhibition Wearing our Identity – The First Peoples Collection attests to this commitment. The exhibition invites visitors to discover the heritage of First Peoples and reflect on the importance of dress in expressing identity. Contemporary Aboriginal works, selected by artist and curator Nadia Myre, are incorporated into the exhibition and renewed twice a year.
Recent works emerging from our Artist-in-Residence program, including Kent Monkman’s Welcome to the Studio: An Allegory for Artistic Reflection and Transformation and Nadia Myre’s installation Decolonial Gestures or Doing it Wrong? Refaire le chemin., express the artists’ desire to represent their history, current realities and struggles. At the same time, they deliver a personal, discursive and hypothetical interpretation of our collections.
In collaboration with Michael Patten, guest curator for the Biennial, the McCord Museum selected works that evoke in a unique way and in various forms (video, painting, sculpture, etc.) this “cultural revolution.” By questioning tradition, they echo the artistic, social and identity issues of the past and present facing Aboriginal communities across the continent. The Museum is therefore pleased to present the work of Canadian artist Caroline Monnet and incorporate into the Biennial the exhibition of its Artist-in-Residence Nadia Myre. The occasion also provides an exceptional opportunity to discover the talent of American artists Steven Yazzie and Sarah Sense.
The McCord Museum would like to thank Michael Patten, Rhéal Olivier Lanthier and François St-Jacques of Art Mûr for this partnership as well as the National Film Board of Canada, for their collaboration on a special screening of the short films from the Souvenir Collection, followed by a panel discussion.
