New WAG-Qaumajuq exhibit highlights work of under-represented Black, Indigenous artists
'When we collaborate, we bring so much more to the table,' says co-curator of exhibit at Winnipeg gallery
"How do you make our communities feel welcome in these places?"
That's a question posed by Elliott Walsh, a.ka. Nestor Wynrush, a multidisciplinary artist from Winnipeg with Trinibagonian origins.
He is one of two co-curators of Threads of Kin and Belonging: A Trinnipeg Live Mixtape Project, a new exhibit at the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq opening next month that highlights the histories of Indigenous and Black people in Treaty One territory, which includes Winnipeg.
The hope with the new exhibit "is for people to be in this room to learn about themselves, because we [Indigenous and Black folks] are not a monolith — none of our groups are," said Walsh, who is also the founder and artistic director of Trinnipeg Live Mixtape — a multi-tiered music collaboration, mentorship, workshop and art exhibition project.
Making art that is "reflective of ourselves is super important," said Walsh.
"Black people have been in Manitoba for well over 100 years, yet our representation [in gallery spaces] is so small."
Among the pieces in the exhibit that speaks to Black history in Winnipeg is a photography collection on loan to the gallery from the Manitoba Museum.
The collection of photographs, taken between 1900 and the 1960s in Winnipeg, document the Menelik Lodge, an organization founded by a Winnipeg union of sleeping car porters to support the Black community with fundraising, education and social activities.
While the WAG-Qaumajuq is home to the largest collection of Inuit art in the world, its permanent collection of more than 28,000 pieces includes fewer than 10 created by Black artists, and just 293 by First Nations and Métis artists, according to Katryna Barske, a public relations officer at the gallery.
The gallery has selected some of the "well-represented" work in its permanent collection for deaccessioning — the formal process of removing work from a collection — in an effort to diversify its collection. The pieces are being auctioned off, with the proceeds going toward endowment funds to purchase art from under-represented groups, said Barske.
'Why not help tell a few stories?'
Walsh said when the opportunity came for him to co-curate the new exhibit, which he describes as a collaborative effort with the artists involved, he was at first reluctant, but then thought, "Why not help tell a few stories?"
The exhibit will feature about 25 artworks from seven Black artists and six Indigenous artists from around the world. Visitors can expect an immersive experience, with each art piece accompanied by audio descriptions.
Julia Lafreniere — who is the head of Indigenous ways and learning at the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq, and is the other co-curator for the exhibit — says it's a visual representation of conversations between both Black and Indigenous communities.
"[It's] the essence of the exhibition," she said. "We're stronger together. And so when we collaborate, we bring so much more to the table. There's so much more to learn from each other, and then the message is stronger."
The exhibit also highlights the intersectionality between Black and Indigenous peoples, especially when it comes to accessing historically Eurocentric spaces, said Lafreniere, who is Saulteaux and Métis.
"I'm able-bodied, I'm white-presenting in certain spaces, English is my first language, I was able to go to university — so I can take those privileges and exist in colonial spaces in a different way than other [Indigenous] people can," she said.
Though the WAG-Qaumajuq is one of the largest galleries in Western Canada, historically, it hasn't showcased Black artists, Lafreniere said. The new exhibit presents an opportunity to do that.
"They deserve to be here just as much as any artists do," she said.
WATCH | See some of the artwork featured in the exhibit:
When it comes to increasing the visibility of both Indigenous and Black artists, Walsh said there has been a lack of resources to remove barriers that exist, but he said he's not alone in working to change that — many others in the museum and arts community have been crucial to the success of exhibits like Threads of Kin and Belonging, he said.
As an artist himself, and someone who gets around with the help of a wheelchair, he says he also brings his own lived experience when it comes to ensuring accessibility isn't an afterthought in creative spaces.
The art in the exhibit was installed with accessibility needs in mind, Walsh said — the pieces were installed lower to the floor to accommodate those with mobility needs, like him.
"Art is for everybody," Walsh said, but noted that there is still more work to be done to ensure that.
Threads of Kin and Belonging has its opening event on Feb. 7, and opens to the public the next day. It runs until Sept. 30.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
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With files from Felisha Adam