New WAG-Qaumajuq exhibit highlights work of under-represented Black, Indigenous artists

Co-curators Elliott Walsh and Julia Lafreniere examine artwork by Ebony G. Patterson that's part of an exhibit called Threads of Kin and Belonging: A Trinnipeg Live Mixtape Project. (Trevor Brine/CBC - image credit)
Co-curators Elliott Walsh and Julia Lafreniere examine artwork by Ebony G. Patterson that's part of an exhibit called Threads of Kin and Belonging: A Trinnipeg Live Mixtape Project. (Trevor Brine/CBC - image credit)

"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.

ADVERTISEMENT

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."

Elliott Walsh aka Nestor Wynrush is the co-curator for a new exhibit at the WAG-Q. He is also the founder and artistic director of Trinnipeg Live Mixtape;  a project that braids together music collaboration, mentorship, workshops and art exhibitions.
Elliott Walsh aka Nestor Wynrush is the co-curator for a new exhibit at the WAG-Q. He is also the founder and artistic director of Trinnipeg Live Mixtape; a project that braids together music collaboration, mentorship, workshops and art exhibitions.

Walsh, a.k.a. Nestor Wynrush, is also the founder and artistic director of Trinnipeg Live Mixtape, a project that braids together music collaboration, mentorship, workshops and art exhibitions. (Trevor Brine/CBC)

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.

One of the photographs from the collection on loan from the Manitoba Museum, and featured in the exhibit dated July 1937 and shows members of the Menelik Lodge 528. Members are also referred to as the 'Black Elks' and ensured financial support for members who became ill, and death benefits for relatives of deceased members.
One of the photographs from the collection on loan from the Manitoba Museum, and featured in the exhibit dated July 1937 and shows members of the Menelik Lodge 528. Members are also referred to as the 'Black Elks' and ensured financial support for members who became ill, and death benefits for relatives of deceased members.

One of the photographs featured in the exhibit, dated July 1937, shows members of the Menelik Lodge 528, which was founded to support the Black community in Winnipeg. (Angelina Pelletier/CBC)

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

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."

Julia Lafreniere, who Metis and Saulteaux belonging to and claimed by Minegozhibe Anishinabe First Nation says for her the exhibit is about, "existing and being who we are and telling our story, here on this land."
Julia Lafreniere, who Metis and Saulteaux belonging to and claimed by Minegozhibe Anishinabe First Nation says for her the exhibit is about, "existing and being who we are and telling our story, here on this land."

Lafreniere, who is the head Indigenous ways and learning at WAG-Qaumajuq, says it's important to showcase the work of Black and Indigenous artists in galleries. '[It's] the essence of the exhibition... We're stronger together,' she says. (Trevor Brine/CBC)

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

"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.

A behind the scenes look at the installation of a new art exhibit at the WAG-Q, with an aim to change the narrative around Black and Indigenous art and accessibility and invite conversations and collaborations with participants.
A behind the scenes look at the installation of a new art exhibit at the WAG-Q, with an aim to change the narrative around Black and Indigenous art and accessibility and invite conversations and collaborations with participants.

The exhibit has an opening ceremony on Feb. 7, followed by its public opening on Feb. 8. (Angelina Pelletier/CBC)

(CBC)

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.