Dis(place)ment: Explorations of Place, Past, Present and Future highlights Indigenous realities, November 7 to 23
The Skwachàys Lodge Gallery exhibit, part of Eastside Culture Crawl, features work by local Indigenous artists
DISPLACEMENT_2 by Soloman Chiniquay
Dis(place)ment: Explorations of Place, Past, Present and Future runs at Skwachàys Lodge Gallery November 2 to 23 as part of Eastside Culture Crawl.
WHEN CHEYENNE MCGINNIS looks at DISPLACEMENT_2, a photograph by Indigenous photographer Solomon Chiniquay (Îyethka Nakoda), it evokes the feeling of being in a different place at a different time, a time of the past when people could gather freely. For McGinnis, a Blackfoot/Cree multi-disciplinary artist of who focuses on painting, pyrography, glass etching and natural fibre, that sentiment goes much deeper than the effects of physical distancing in the era of COVID-19.
“With the pandemic, many of our cultural gatherings were cancelled, adding to a feeling of displacement in our social lives and reminded us of a time when our cultural gatherings were restricted by law,” McGinnis tells Stir. “This picture looks like it was taken at a community gathering. The picture asks us to reimagine what community gatherings will look like in the future, compared to what they've looked like in the past. It truly is an artifact of the past that asks us to consider our current reality.”
Chiniquay is one of the Indigenous artists participating in Dis(place)ment: Explorations of Place, Past, Present and Future. McGinnis is the curator of the exhibit, presented by Skwachàys Lodge Aboriginal Hotel and Gallery in partnership with the Carnegie Centre Association and the Eastside Culture Crawl Society. The group show shines a light on the displacement of Indigenous communities while inspiring individuals to create their own spaces through community-building, self-reflection, and the sharing of culture. It’s at Skwachàys Lodge Gallery from November 7 to 23.
Artists taking part are from various Nations and include Charlene Johnny, Charles “Ya-Ya” Heit, Michelle Sound, Chantelle Trainor-Matties, and Hugh Kearney. They’ll be presenting works in a range of mediums, including acrylic, sculpture, photography, and 3D works.
Skwachàys Lodge and Gallery Lodge Aboriginal Hotel & Gallery runs an artists in residence program that houses up to 24 artists in affordable, subsidized housing. Artists have access to a studio, networking opportunities, community building activities, and workshops in topics like health and wellness, grant-writing and business-skill training, financial literacy, and cultural practice. COVID-19 has hit the program hard, making the ECC exhibition all the more timely and vital, McGinnis says.
“Our goal is to give artists a strong footing in their career and life,” McGinnis says. “It’s our hope that when artists leave the program that they feel they have a strong grounding in their respective careers
“Unfortunately, the pandemic saw some of our talent from the program leave; many artists had made the decision to go back to their home territories when the pandemic struck, affecting the program by reducing the number of artists we currently have in residency,” she says. At this time, we are also not accepting new applicants into the program, so the program is at a bit of a standstill at the moment. Through supporting our gallery and hotel, the community can support our artists in residence program.”
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