An Interactive Platform for Indigenous Art Histories: Winnipeg 1970-1996 is a curatorial project to document and disseminate stories related to the history of Indigenous art in Winnipeg from 1970 – 1996. The time period that we have selected for this project will address a specific gap in recorded history. We begin in the early 1970s, for example, when the late Daphne Odjig opened a gallery at 331 Donald Street and later co-founded Professional Indian Artists Inc., which has been the subject of recent study and curation by curators such as Cathy Mattes and Michelle Lavallee. Beginning in the 70s however, there is important information about Indigenous theatre, music, and visual art which took place in Winnipeg and that was formative for Indigenous arts and that has not been recognized through formal study. We conclude our timeframe in 1996 with the opening of Urban Shaman Gallery. Although this gallery’s programming records are incomplete, there is a decent amount of information on the work of Indigenous artists in Winnipeg after 1996. This first iteration of the project supports a proof of concept that can be further developed, and we may amend our dates at a later time if community feedback provides this direction.
This project addresses a gap in recorded knowledge that has paved the way for artists and arts workers such as myself to do the work we do today. This project seeks to honor those artists and arts professionals, and to ensure a lasting, publicly accessible, and artistically-driven platform for sharing this knowledge and history. The project is successfully funded by Canada Council for the Arts Creating, Knowing, and Sharing Short Term Projects and will involve artistic and technical partners (including mentors and mentorships with Indigenous creative professionals) to develop an interactive online platform with audio and photo-based documentation. The final website will function both as a hub for accessing audio walks, while also providing a lasting, publicly accessible and artistically-driven platform for sharing this knowledge and history.
