Indigenous Culture Conversation (3 part series) with Brandon Gabriel

Description

The Arts Council of Burnaby acknowledges that the land on which we gather, share and learn together is the traditional and ancestral territory of Indigenous nations throughout BC. Our thanks to the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), Tsleil-Waututh, and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) First Nations on whose lands we operate our main office and gallery.

The Burnaby Arts Council are hosting a 3 part conversation featuring Kwelexwecten – Brandon Gabriel. The purpose is to engage the broader community with educational content focused on contemporary and historical issues focused on local and global Indigenous peoples. The topics range from early human impacts on what we now know as British Columbia and Canada, petroglyps in First Nations history, and artistic and cultural legacies.

Brandon Gabriel – Kwelexwecten was born and raised on the Kwantlen First Nation Reserve in Fort Langley BC, Canada. Brandon was educated in Cultural Anthropology, Visual Art, and Marketing at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, then received his Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Art from the prestigious Emily Carr University of Fine Art and Design. Brandon continued his studies in Indigenous Governance at the Justice Institute of BC (2012).

Brandon is a multi-talented contemporary mixed media artist who specializes in painting, drawing, illustration, graphic design, architectural design concepts, public art installations and photography. Brandon’s work has been exhibited in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, USA and across Canada.

Saturday, May 4th – 2 to 4 pm
5 myths about the Indian Act: Nothing is Free!: land, taxation, education, ministerial administration of rights and laws, and the concept of all these topics always being positioned as part of a past-tense narrative in mass media, and every day speak in Canadian society will be challenged in this workshop.

Saturday, May 25th – 2 to 4 pm
The Anti-Potlatching Law (1884-1951): It’s legacy in British Columbia: How many people know that the art and culture of Indigenous peoples in Canada and in British Columbia are the second most plundered and valuable art objects confiscated and collected by world class museums, second only to the Egyptian culture? The Indian Act of Canada is still a functioning apartheid document that exerts control of every day lives of Indigenous peoples, and still functions as a divider between Canada and the Indigenous people. The legacy of the Anti-Potlatching law is the focus.

Saturday, June 22nd – 2 to 4 pm
Indigenous Artistic Resurgence in BC and beyond: the art of several multi-disciplinary Indigenous artists will be discussed and how those artists have an impact on challenging the cultural fabric of Canada. Artists discussed include Buffy St. Marie, John Trudell, Sherman Alexie, Richard Wagameze, Brian Jungen, Mariane Nicholson, Sonny Assu, Shelley Niro, Rebecca Bellmore, James Luna, and many more. Bring a pen and paper to write down names of some of your new favorite artists.

Please join us at the Deer Lake Gallery for these conversations. ADMISSION IS FREE!