The Awakening Spirit exhibition is being hosted for the first time at the university’s school of art gallery from Oct. 30 to Nov. 22.

The exhibition is a showcase of contemporary art, featuring a range of Indigenous artwork that was selected and purchased by the 2023-24 committee members of the Indigenous Student Led Indigenous Art Purchase Program (ISLIAPP).

This exhibition is funded and supported by the office of the vice-president (Indigenous), through the Indigenous initiatives fund and it is organized by C.W. Brooks-Ip and 2023-24 ISLIAPP committee coordinator, Jory Thomas.  Approximately $16,000 worth of art was purchased for the exhibition, but unfortunately not all purchased pieces will be in this exhibition due to shipping issues.

According to Thomas, the artworks were purchased over the course of the summer and framed by Sapphire Moroz.

He also emphasized Moroz’s contribution saying “she does deserve significant credit.”

Thomas also shared that the artworks were selected by committee members based on personal interest, availability and promotion of diversity. 

“They all had different things that they would really advocate for,” he said. “It’s kind of a range, and it’s nice to see all the different communities represented, but also different types of work.”

The showcase assembles a collection of traditional and contemporary paintings, beadwork, sculptures, drawings and prints. Each piece serves as a reflection of Indigenous values and the community. 

Thomas stated, “we had seven amazing Indigenous students that were advocating for these pieces and that picked these pieces, and they’re almost like reflections of themselves showing in these spaces, but also reflections of other people that will be going through these spaces.”

The director/curator at the school of art gallery, Blair Fornwald, expressed her thoughts about the importance of art in institutional spaces.

“I think that art could be a really important way to sort of provoke conversations and encourage people to think about different points of view,” she said.

The artworks will be displayed around campus for students and faculty members after the exhibition ends.

The committee members for the ISLIAPP 2023-24 include Mackenzie Anderson, Danielle Hart, Ciara McLeod, Aimée-Mihkokwaniy McGillis, Jessica Tylor Canard, Jory Thomas and Payton Whitehead.

The school of art gallery, located at 180 Dafoe Road, is open from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or by appointment. The Awakening Spirit exhibition has free admission.