Tools of the Maker
June 22–October 20, 2024
This exhibition explores the relationship between artistic practice and craftsmanship through a selection of works and art tools from the Owens’ permanent collection. It is organized around a recent commission and acquisition: Tools of the Maker, by Mi’kmaw artist Mel Beaulieu. Made using traditional beading techniques, this intricate snapshot of the artist’s studio shows a work in progress surrounded by jars of beads and a smudge bowl. The landscape outside the window connects the creative process back to the gifts of the land. This view, alongside the other works on display, offers a new perspective on art and craft.
Jerry Evans: Mimajuaqne’kati / Place of Life
June 1–September 15, 2024
Curator: Emily Crtich. This solo exhibition presents prints and video by Mi’kmaw and settler visual artist Jerry Evans. Incorporating elements of L’nu visual culture and archival photographs of ancestors, Evans’ work considers the inter-territorial relationships between the Beothuk and the Mi’kmaq in Ktaqmkuk. He also explores themes related to social amnesia, interruption, and the survivance of Indigenous life and histories in what is colonially known as Newfoundland and Labrador. The exhibition honours life cycles and relations in Ktaqmkuk, and more broadly within Mi’kma’ki, Wabanaki Territory, and beyond.
We would like to acknowledge that the Owens Art Gallery, Mount Allison University, is located within the traditional territory of Mi’kma’ki, the unceded ancestral homelands of the Mi’kmaq. Our relationship and our privilege to live on this territory was agreed upon in the Peace and Friendship Treaties of 1725 to 1752. Because of this treaty relationship, it is to be acknowledged that we are all Treaty People and have a responsibility to respect this territory.
The Owens Art Gallery acknowledges the generous support of all its funders, including Mount Allison University, the Canada Council for the Arts, the New Brunswick Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture, the Municipality of Tantramar, and the Friends of the Owens Art Gallery.