Art Windsor-Essex respectfully acknowledges that we are located on Anishinaabe Territory – the traditional territory of the Three Fires Confederacy of First Nations, comprised of the Ojibway, the Odawa, and the Potawatomi. Today the Anishinaabe of the Three Fires Confederacy are represented by Bkejwanong. We want to state our respect for the ancestral and ongoing authority of Walpole Island First Nation over its Territory.
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Treaty Recognition Week
DATES: Sunday, November 3 – Saturday, November 9, 2024
In 2016, Ontario became the first province in Canada to establish Treaties Recognition Week, held annually during the first week of November. This initiative highlights the significance of treaties and aims to educate all Ontarians about treaty rights and relationships. By deepening our understanding of these shared rights and responsibilities, Treaties Recognition Week fosters greater awareness and strengthens relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
Brought to Light: Indigenous Works from AWE’s Collection
Brought to Light brings together new acquisitions and unseen works by Indigenous artists from AWE’s collection. This rotating display functions as a digitization gallery for AWE staff to professionally photographs these important works.
In 2023, AWE undertook a review of our collection to ensure that artworks in our holdings represented the diverse communities we served. Of our collection of roughly 4,000 artworks, AWE only holds 232 artworks by around 115 Inuit, First Nations and Métis artists. Of these works, many have yet to be digitized and published in our online collections database. This exhibition is intended to make these works more visible to our audiences in the gallery and online. The show includes the first work we acquired by an Indigenous artist—Inuit artist Joe Adlaka Aculiak’s Hunter with Bear—as well as our most recent acquisition—Under the Blanket (2022) by Oji-cree artist Jessica Rachel Cook (Constance Lake First Nation/Bkejwanong First Nation).
Book a Tour: Students and Teachers
Teachers and educators can book a class field trip to AWE for Treaty Week, between Tuesday, November 5 to Friday, November 9, 2024
Students will participate in a guided tour of Brought to Light, an exhibition featuring works by Indigenous artists from AWE’s collection, including a recent acquisition by Shelley Niro. Following the tour, students will participate in a discussion and activity in the studio on symbolism, imagery and meaning. Students will gain a deeper understanding of the role of wampum belts in treaties, their materials and symbolism, and reflecting on the consequences of broken treaties.
Cost: $8 per student
Program Length: 2 hours
Book now! Email Sophie Hinch, Education and Public Programs Coordinator, by email at shinch@artwindsoressex.ca
