Our Voices exhibit highlights Indigenous cultures
A unique new exhibit at Welland Museum is offering insight into the stories and history of First Nations, Métis and Inuit people.
The Our Voices exhibit, which will continued until late January, features artwork and artifacts of Indigenous people and cultures.
The museum gave The Tribune a sneak peek at the exhibit, which is in a room full of a variety of artifacts — some on loan and some the museum owns — such as woven baskets, a journal and other visual displays. Pieces from the museum’s Métis gallery, which is Niagara’s only permanent Métis gallery, are also included in the Our Voices displays.
Lining the walls are 13 paintings done by Norval Morrisseau, an Anishinaabe man who expressed himself and his story through art. He was born in 1932 and died in 2007, was the recipient of the Order of Canada and is the founder of what became the Woodland School of Canadian Native Art. There is a television at the museum that will show a roughly four-minute video on loop explaining more about Morrisseau’s life and work.
Greg D’Amico, president of the museum’s board of directors, said they are very pleased and honoured to have the exhibit.
“This is right where we need to be,” he said, noting that even a few decades ago having an exhibit such as this and having the conversations it inspires would have been a foreign concept.
Museum curator Penny Morningstar agreed. She said Canada’s sesquicentennial year is an ideal time to honour this part of Canada’s history, although she feels that it should be something we continue to do as a society in perpetuity and hopes this can act as a starting point for the Welland community.
Another important aspect of the exhibit is that it has been told in conjunction with the First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities and aren’t just the museum’s perspective on them.
Susan Ward, a member of the board of directors, said the museum consulted people from each of those cultures and through those discussions has been able to put together this exhibit in a meaningful and respectful way.
She said it’s also a particularly exciting exhibit to be able to display because many museums don’t feature artwork in a gallery-style format, and because Morrisseau’s pieces have been in prominent art galleries.
The exhibit officially opens on Saturday at 2 p.m., during which time there will be some fanfare to properly introduce it to guests, including speeches and entertainment.
Morningstar said the museum asks for a small donation to come in and see the exhibit, which is standard for any of the exhibits on site. lbarton@postmedia.com twitter.com/LBartonTribune
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