On October 14th, 2015, PAS Toronto attended the opening of the U.S. Consulate-supported Kent Monkman exhibition at the Gardiner Museum. The Rise and Fall of Civilization exhibition was supported through the PAS grants program. PAS Toronto has worked closely with the Gardiner Museum to craft the programming behind the Kent Monkman exhibition which centers on a dialogue about American/Canadian First Nations art. The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) from Santa Fe, New Mexico is a partner in this exhibition — their second time collaborating with the Consulate on a joint project — the previous project was in coordination with OCAD in 2014. This exhibition comes with a robust programming agenda with engagement by the general public, arts community, students from OCAD University, Sheridan College’s ceramics program, Ryerson University’s Centre for Indigenous Governance, University of Toronto’s First Nations House, and Centennial College’s Aboriginal Education Council.
In the week leading up to the panel discussion on November 17th, students from OCAD University will work with two Native American artists from IAIA, James Rivera and Joanna Bigfeather to develop a body of work through a series of workshops. The artists will also have the opportunity to work with students from the Sheridan College ceramics program expanding the reach beyond the downtown core. The work that is created by students from Sheridan and OCAD U will be displayed at the Gardiner Museum for the duration of the Kent Monkman exhibition. Kent Monkman is one of the country’s preeminent contemporary artists, working in a variety of mediums, including painting, film/video, performance, and nstallation. The Rise and Fall of Civilization will be displayed at the Gardiner Museum from October 15, 2015 to January 10, 2016.
