Beaverbrook Art Gallery exhibit dedicated to fierceness of Indigenous women
Indigenous art curator, Emma Hassencahl-Perley, showcases self-determination, activism
Emma Hassencahl-Perley wants to showcase Indigenous feminism and female political voices through curated art.
That's the idea behind wesuwe-tpelomosu, an exhibition organized by the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in collaboration with the work the renowned Indigenous artists.
"I wanted to show that women had agency before contact, and they continue to have agency in their families and communities," she said.
Hassencahl-Perley started working at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in 2018 after she was hired as a curator for the New Brunswick Art Bank's 50th anniversary.
She stayed on and worked at the gallery as a curatorial intern until recently, when she transitioned to become the newly appointed curator of Indigenous art.
"This exhibition was inspired by my thesis, and it was a response to the exhibition that I had been studying for so long." she said.
Hassencahl-Perley, a visual artist in her own right, is Wolastoqiyik from Neqotkuk First Nation, also known as Tobique, in western New Brunswick.
She also lectures on Indigenous art history at the Wabanaki Visual Arts program at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design in Fredericton.
She said her love for art started in childhood, when she could barely hold a crayon.
"My art was fostered from a really young age ... My mom let me draw all over my bedroom walls."
Indigenous Feminism through art
Wesuwe-tpelomosu, the name of the current exhibition at the gallery, loosely translates to mean self-determination. It also can mean "returning to a former condition in being responsible for oneself," she said.
It aims to examine modern matriarchy through a sample of the history and life of Indigenous women's leadership and activism within their families and communities.
The exhibit includes 10 Indigenous artists from across the country, including Shirley Bear and Samaqani Cocahq, also known as Natalie Sappier, from New Brunswick.
Hassencahl-Perley said there is a rising curiosity to know more about Indigenous history.
"There is a growing hunger for knowledge, and we have to figure out ways to facilitate that to the public in ways that are genuine and respectful," she said.
She says the exhibition is an opportunity to learn about the territory and home of lndigenous peoples.
Hassencahl-Perley added long descriptive labels with the information behind each work, why they're chosen, how they into the theme of the exhibition.
She said she's excited about her new role at the gallery, which will require her to organize and curate Indigenous exhibitions and look after historic art pieces acquired from Indigenous communities.
"I feel good. I feel grounded. I feel like I'm in good company," she said.
"I love Indigenous art from sea to sea."
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With files from Rachel Cave and Information Morning Fredericton