Media Release
June 25, 2021
For Immediate Release
S^yowah guest curator for Expressions of Reclamation 2021
New Westminster, BC – The Arts Council of New Westminster is pleased to announce S^yowah as the 2021 guest curator for the Expressions of Reclamation series. S^yowah has spent the past three months developing and curating a showcase series presented this Summer between June and August. Featuring presentations by emerging Indigenous artists engaged in their artist practice, participants are invited to learn how contemporary Indigenous artists express and reclaim their identity through their art. Presented both in-person and through an online livestream, the series will allow for an interactive Q&A session hosted by Indigenous curator S^yowah.
“I’ve noticed that whenever there are words like reconciliation or reclamation, it has to do with land claims,” said S^yowah, ACNW Indigenous Curator, “but I’m interested in artists who use their creativity and artistic expression to reclaim their identity, their place in their nation, to connect to who they are.”
The Expressions of Reclamation series supports the Arts Council of New Westminster’s goal of building strong relations with Indigenous artists and facilitating dialogue, practice, and education between the presenting artists and community members. The series will be developed and delivered by the featured artists and will consist of artist talks, performance art, theoretical or technical seminars, live drawing/painting, collaborative social practice activities, workshops, or performances. Expressions of Reclamation series encourages the integration of the arts into daily life, providing fully hands-on, barrier-free, no-cost art education that promotes intergenerational mentoring opportunities and inclusivity between backgrounds of gender, race, age and ability.
Following the most current Provincial Health Order, events will be a hybrid in-person and online via live stream through the Arts Council of New Westminster’s Facebook page. In-person events will follow COVID-19 Safety Plan protocols and require pre-registration through Eventbrite to ensure proper contract tracing.
Biographies for artists participating in Expressions of Reclamation are available online. For more information about the Expressions of Reclamation series, please visit: acnw.ca/eor
Expressions of Reclamation is supported by the Deux Mille Foundation
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Key Dates:
- June 29 @ 6:30 pm – Cameron Peal (one-person theatre show “The Coffee Story”), Centennial Lodge, Queen’s Park
- July 24 @ 12:00 pm – Fawnda Bullshields (Lady’s Fancy Shawl dance), Queen’s Park (meet at Centennial Lodge)
- July 29 @ 12:00 pm – Elder Christy David (ribbon skirt sewing), Centennial Lodge, Queen’s Park
- July 30 @ 6:30 pm – Mitchell Saddleback (standup/poetry), Queen’s Park (meet at Centennial Lodge)
- August 12 @ 12:00 pm – Kaija Heitland (fabric design), livestream only completely online from her studio
For photos of S^yowah and the presenting artists, click here
For more information:
Crystal Lan
Cultural Programmer, Arts Council of New Westminster
crystal.lan@acnw.ca | 604 525 3244 | www.acnw.ca
@ArtsCouncilNW (Twitter/Instagram/Facebook)
#ArtsNW
About Indigenous Curator S^yowah (Timothy Elijah)
S^yowah (Son/yo/wa) / Tim (he/him/his) is a proud member of the Onyota’aka (Oneida of the Thames First Nation) Nation located outside of London Ontario. He is from a specific Bear Clan family known for their connections to the forests and trees. S^yowah would like to thank the attendees for participating in Reconciliation. S^yowah believes that in order to resolve the conflicts and issues between Indigenous Peoples and Canadians we need to listen, forgive, love and work together as one.
About the Arts Council of New Westminster
Founded in 1967, The Arts Council of New Westminster is a community arts organization built by individuals and member groups who share an interest in visual, performing, and literary arts. The Arts Council’s role in the community is to advocate for the arts and foster support for those engaging in artistic and cultural endeavours. Serving the community for 51 years, the ACNW continues to bring innovative new programming to New Westminster
