Gord Downie, Canada's best movies of the year and more arts stories you might have missed

Here at CBC Arts, you won't just find our original content — we also bring you the best art posts from across the entire CBC network.

These are the week's can't-miss stories:

'Man who walks among the stars': AFN honours tearful Gord Downie (CBC News)

An emotional Gord Downie was honoured by the Assembly of First Nations last week in a moving ceremony in which he was given a Lakota spirit name, Wicapi Omani, which roughly translates to "man who walks among the stars." Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia Regional Chief Morley Googoo called Downie a living embodiment of reconciliation efforts, and the Tragically Hip frontman had a few powerful words of his own to share: "To become a country that can truly call ourselves Canada, it means we must become one. We must walk down a path of reconciliation from now on. Together, and forever." (Learn more about the Secret Path project here.)

• Dust off your dancing shoes and turn up the Tchaikovsky — we're learning how to pirouette
• How one play inspired a new guide for bringing deaf artists and audiences to the theatre​
• 'Mr. Presidential with no credentials': Calling out Trump through spoken word

Why Gord Downie's 'beautiful' work can't stand alone (q)

Following the AFN ceremony honouring Gord Downie, Indigenous art scholar Jarrett Martineau joined q to share his thoughts. While Martineau celebrated Downie's work and the non-Indigenous audience it has brought to the community's issues, he emphasized the need for more voices from survivors to be heard — an important reminder for all of us that the conversation around reconciliation needs to be ongoing.

Trevor Noah on growing up mixed race in South Africa, 'a product of my parents' crime' (The Current)

Trevor Noah's conversation with Anna Maria Tremonti covered a wide range of topics around his new memoir Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. But while many of those talking points were serious — such as racism, poverty and navigating identity — Noah's words were a testament to the power of humour in confronting tough issues and bridging divides. "It's an implicit agreement, isn't it, when you laugh with someone?" the Daily Show host told Tremonti. "Because it means you share something without even realizing it."

• A Toronto hip-hop crew gets animated in living, CMYK colour​
• Luke, I am your potter: How to make a Darth Vader urn​
• This retired physics teacher wanted the most sustainable house possible — and it looks great too

'Telling stories that show Canadian who we are': TIFF unveils top 10 Canadian films of 2016 (CBC News)

Every winter, the Toronto International Film Festival selects the country's best homegrown films of the year for the Canada's Top Ten Film Festival, and this year's lineup is as diverse as the country itself. Featuring several of this year's TIFF Rising Stars, the selection showcases everything from gripping coming of age tales to animated features about love and poetry — and the films will be touring across the country in the new year.

A second chance in Canada: How singing is giving Syrian refugee children a voice (CBC News)

A year ago, they arrived in Canada from Syria; last week, they were in the House of Commons sharing songs about peace and hope. The Nai Syrian Children's Choir meets every week to sing while their parents take English lessons. Led by a married couple who are also recent refugees from Syria, their performance in Ottawa was truly a reflection of the universal power of music.

• G.A.L.s just want to make art, and this Toronto group is making it happen
• This Instagram photo essay shines a light on Indigenous activism in Winnipeg
• How three performers came together to explore black queer identity — on their own terms

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