{"id":9004111222127036,"date":"2022-05-02T10:09:01","date_gmt":"2022-05-02T15:09:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wag.ca\/?p=9004111222127036"},"modified":"2022-05-02T10:17:52","modified_gmt":"2022-05-02T15:17:52","slug":"kwaata-nihtaawakihk-a-hard-birth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wag.ca\/art\/stories\/kwaata-nihtaawakihk-a-hard-birth\/","title":{"rendered":"Kwaata-nihtaawakihk: A Hard Birth – A Space for Engaging the Future"},"content":{"rendered":"
Kwaata-nihtaawakihk: A Hard Birth<\/em> is an essential remembering of the unique formation of the province of Manitoba, and a space for engaging the future.<\/div>\n

A collaboration between Michif curator Cathy Mattes and M\u00e9tis\/Algonquin\/Irish curator Sherry Farrell Racette, Kwaata-nihtaawakihk: A Hard Birth<\/em><\/a> combines an incredible array of archival documents and historic and contemporary art to piece together the story of Manitoba. \u201cThese events are living histories in the M\u00e9tis community,\u201d says Farrell Racette. \u201cWe consulted with M\u00e9tis elder, Verna DeMontigny, asking for the word to describe a difficult birth, thinking of the process as a female being giving birth to the province.\u201d<\/p>\n

Delayed for two years due to the onset of the pandemic, the exhibition content hasn\u2019t changed very much from its initial conception as a part of the commemoration of Manitoba 150. \u201cWe have brought together some amazing pieces of historic and contemporary art, which are woven throughout,\u201d says Farrell Racette. \u201cWe are bringing pieces \u2018home\u2019.\u201d The works in the exhibition illuminate the unique story and perspectives behind the province\u2019s formation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe creation of Manitoba was a M\u00e9tis accomplishment, but the Red River Settlement was a diverse community \u2013 80% M\u00e9tis, but also Saulteaux and Cree villages, retired HBC traders, with a small group of recent arrivals from Ontario,\u201d says Farrell Racette.<\/p>\n

We want to centre the tensions and connections. I\u2019m not sure if it\u2019s a theme, but we wanted to give viewers a sense of what was lost in the aftermath of 1870. So\u2014beauty, conflict, resistance, but also resilience and continuity.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cFor me personally, the key themes, in addition to what Sherry has shared, is recognizing the importance of kinship ties, and how continuance and continuum is present in ancestral and contemporary art,\u201d adds Mattes. Through Kwaata-nihtaawakihk: A Hard Birth<\/em>, the curators centre the past firmly within the experiences of the M\u00e9tis community. \u201cMy family, my ancestors remained here, remained in this province, despite what were at times great atrocities that they were experiencing,\u201d says Mattes.<\/p>\n

As a part of the exhibition\u2019s commitment to Indigenous ways of being, Kwaata-nihtaawakihk: A Hard Birth<\/em> centres interactivity and dialogue. \u201cAn important component of the exhibition is that the space and art be ignited with opportunities for gatherings, including art workshops, guest speakers, music, poetry, and Mawachihitotaak<\/a>, a M\u00e9tis Studies Symposium being held in conjunction with this exhibition,\u201d says Mattes. These opportunities for hard and good conversations surrounding the birth of the province offer participants and visitors the ability to explore what could have been, and what might still be. \u201cWe hope to fill the gallery with people\u2014laughter, tears, contemplation, visiting, and music,\u201d says Farrell Racette. \u201cThis is a big story that we are still living today.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kwaata-nihtaawakihk: A Hard Birth is an essential remembering of the unique formation of the province of Manitoba, and a space for engaging the future. 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