ARTH 315/CANS 315 Indigenous Art and Culture: Contemporary Indigenous Art in Canada McGill University, Montreal, Canada Fall 2020
Lecture: Tuesday and Thursday, 1:05-1:50 pm, Arts W-215 (Lectures will be recorded on Zoom and posted after)
Instructor: Dr. Gloria Bell Email: [email protected] Office Hours: Mondays 1:40 pm – 2:40pm. Tuesdays 2:30pm – 3:30 pm.
Teaching Assistant: Rach Klein Email: tbd* Office Hours: (will be posted on MyCourses)
Course Description: This course will examine the production of contemporary First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists in Canada from the 1990s to the present. A diverse range of contemporary art practices – including painting, drawing, photography, film, performance, installation and new media art – will be considered in relation to key aspects of the cultural, political and social life of Indigenous peoples in Canada. Much of the work examined reflects and responds to the continuing legacy of colonization and successive Canadian governments’ policies of assimilation and segregation. Artists, artworks and exhibitions examined will therefore be both historically and contemporarily contextualized. We will discuss the impact of the Indian Act, the establishment of Reserves and conflicts surrounding sovereignty and status, as well as the portrayal of Indigenous identity in art, popular culture and news media. Additionally, we will engage with the recent scholarship in Indigenous studies and material culture, and current events related to the theme of the course. The course is divided thematically, rather than chronologically, with weekly topics addressing significant aspects of Indigenous art and culture in Canada today.
Objectives and Expectations: This course offers students the opportunity to critically engage with key themes in contemporary Indigenous art and culture. Students are required to attend all lectures and participate in class discussion. All required readings should be completed before each class. Lectures and readings do not necessarily cover the same material and students will be expected to reference both in assignments. Students are encouraged to attend exhibitions and other events throughout the city that relate to the themes of the course.
Required Readings Required readings for this course will be available on MyCourses either as PDFs or as links to online articles. Students may also be asked to visit specific websites and/or watch films available online that relate to topics covered in the course.
This text is recommended for a general overview of Indigenous art - Ruth Phillips and Janet Berlo, Native North American Art, available for purchase here - https://www.redshelf.com/book/1582553/native-north-american-art-1582553- 9780197550199-janet-catherine-berlo-ruth-b-phillips
Evaluation Midterm Exam 30% The midterm will be based on lectures and assigned readings up until the midterm. The midterm will be a compare and contrast essay. Incorporate at least three readings into your response. Midterm: Midterm Distributed: October 8th at 2pm and due October 16th at 2pm on MyCourses – Note Use October 13th and October 15th class time to work on the midterm
Research Paper Proposal, 10%
Upload a copy of your research proposal by November 5th (1pm) for an e-class peer-review activity. PeerGrade will be used by your peers to add respectful commentary and criticism of your research in progress. Please add commentary for two of your peers using the PeerGrade system on MyCourses. Guidelines will be provided.
1 Following the peer-review activity, Students will submit a 350 word abstract for the research paper proposal, and a one- page bibliography (typed, double-spaced, 12 point font) on MyCourses. Final Research Proposal due November 10th on MyCourses at 2pm.
The abstract must include a thesis statement or hypothesis and a brief outline of the intended argument. The proposal must include a bibliography of at least five to eight academic sources. Students are welcome and encouraged to discuss potential topics with the instructor prior to submitting their paper proposal. The paper proposal will be returned with feedback the following week.
Possible research paper proposal topics:
The Exhibition History of First Nations, Métis and Inuit Arts in Canada: How and why have curators shifted their exhibition display strategies surrounding Indigenous art during the past century? Compare and contrast two exhibitions. (Eg: Sakahàn: International Indigenous Art, 2013, Exhibition of Canadian West Coast Art – Native and Modern, 1927, SDING K’AWXANGS – HAIDA: SUPERNATURAL STORIES, 2019)
Beadwork, Tufting and Quillwork: Examine the work of at least two contemporary artists that use “traditional” techniques and explore the resurgence of Indigenous methods and knowledges.
Queering the Canon: How and why are Indigenous artists queering the canon of art history? Examine the work of at least two artists.
The Imaginary Indian: How are contemporary curators and artists critiquing the Imaginary Indian in their work? Examine the work of at least two artists.
Unsettling the Archive: How are Indigenous artists responding to the colonial archive and why? Examine the work of at least two artists.
Indigenous Comics and Alternative Histories: How are Indigenous artists using comics and illustrated books to present Indigenous-centered histories? (see for example Louis Riel by Chester Brown)
Knowledge Checks: 20% Students will complete knowledge checks during weeks listed on syllabus. The assignment will check your knowledge of the course content up to the time before the given knowledge check. They will be composed of true and false questions and multiple choice. (The knowledge checks will be available for one week from their posting and can be completed at any time that works for you. Make sure to check the calendar on MyCourses to see when they are – WEEK 4, WEEK 8, WEEK 12)
You can prepare for these by completing all the mandatory readings, listening to class lectures and viewing digital content. 3 knowledge checks in total. Your lowest score will be dropped.
Research Paper, 40% The final research paper should demonstrate the ability to think creatively and critically about contemporary Indigenous Art and engage with the themes and debates central to the course.
An effective research paper will have a clear thesis statement and engage in visual analysis of two to three artworks.
Visual analysis: I recommend selecting two to three works of art and describing them in detail. You might choose to think about the artist and artworks in relation to Discourses of Sovereignty, Decolonizing Methods, Indigenous Visibility, Exhibition history of Indigenous Arts in Canada, Queering the Canon, Indigenous beadwork, quillwork, tufting and materiality studies, Indigenous Archives or another issue we have discussed in class or of your own initiative. To inspire your research paper, I recommend reading contemporary scholarship in art journals Art History, Journal of Material Culture Studies and American Indian Culture and Research Journal. Look at the course outline.
Please also consult Sylvan Barnet’s A Short Guide to Writing About Art (8th edition) for a succinct overview on writing about art.
2 7-9 pages typed, double-spaced, with footnotes or endnotes, bibliography, images and image captions in Chicago citation style. (*Please note, bibliography and images are IN ADDITION to the 7-9 page essay). Due December 1rst on MyCourses.
Late Policy: Digital copies of all assignments must be submitted on the dates that they are due. Late assignments will be penalized by 5% per day (from the 100% value of the assignment). Any assignments not submitted on MyCourses on due date will be considered late. Assignments will not be accepted if more than four days late.
Late assignments due to medical conditions must be supported by documentation. Extensions will be given only in the case of serious medical illness or serious personal problems and will require the provision of a doctor’s note. Arrangements for an extension must be made personally with the professor as soon as possible prior to the deadline.
Grade Appeal Policy: If a student chooses to appeal a grade given for any assignment, he or she must present the instructor with a written document outlining the reasons within 48 hours of receiving the grade. Students must be aware that reevaluation following a disputed grade could result in their grade remaining the same, being raised OR being reduced.
Website Readings will be available on MyCourses as PDFs or as links to online articles.
Class Conduct: This e-classroom is intended to be a safe, respectful and comfortable learning environment for everyone in attendance. If a student’s behaviour is deemed to be offensive or distracting to others by the instructor or TA, they will be asked to leave the e-classroom.
Class Content: Some of the films may include graphic scenes. Please note the disclaimer during selected weeks. Regarding readings, some of the material may reference the ongoing traumatic legacy of residential schools, the impact of the Indian Act and other historical and lived realities. Please be respectful of the course content, yourself, the student body and the instructor, if you need to speak with someone regarding anything covered in class there are counselling services available for all students. https://www.mcgill.ca/studentservices/
Policies, Resources and Academic Integrity
McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore all students must understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures -- see http://www.mcgill.ca/students/srr/honest/
L'université McGill attache une haute importance à l’honnêteté académique. Il incombe par conséquent à tous les étudiants de comprendre ce que l'on entend par tricherie, plagiat et autres infractions académiques, ainsi que les conséquences que peuvent avoir de telles actions, selon le Code de conduite de l'étudiant et des procédures disciplinaires (pour de plus amples renseignements, veuillez consulter le site www.mcgill.ca/students/srr/honest/).
In accord with McGill University’s Charter of Students’ Rights, students in this course have the right to submit in English or in French any written work that is to be graded. (Approved by Senate on 21 January 2009).
Conformément à la Charte des droits de l’étudiant de l’Université McGill, chaque étudiant a le droit de soumettre en français ou en anglais tout travail écrit devant être noté (sauf dans le cas des cours dont l’un des objets est la maîtrise d’une langue).
As the instructor of this course I endeavour to provide an inclusive learning environment. However, if you experience barriers to learning in this course, do not hesitate to discuss them with me and the Office for Students with Disabilities, 514-398-6009, http://www.mcgill.ca/osd/).
Students looking for additional assistance with academic reading, study, research and writing skills should consult the McGill academic resources website at www.mcgill.ca/students/academicresources/. 3
The Counseling Service provides personal, academic, and career counseling to undergraduate and graduate students. They also offer workshops on study skills, multiple choice exams, text anxiety/stress management. The service is located at suite 4200 Brown Student Services Bldg, 398-3601 www.mcgill.ca/counselling/. A list of groups and workshops can be found at: www.mcgill.ca/counselling/groups/
According to Senate regulations, instructors are not permitted to make special arrangements for final exams. Please consult the Calendar, section 4.7.2.1, General University Information and Regulations at http://www.mcgill.ca/
In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University’s control, the content and/or evaluation scheme in this course is subject to change.
© Instructor generated course materials (e.g., handouts, notes, summaries, exam questions, etc.) are protected by law and may not be copied or distributed in any form or in any medium without explicit permission of the instructor. Note that infringements of copyright can be subject to follow up by the University under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures.
COURSE OUTLINE
Class Schedule and Weekly Readings: (The list of artists included in class discussions is preliminary, incomplete and is subject to change. Assigned readings are also subject to change, in which case students will be made aware with at least one week’s notice.)
WEEK 1 (Thursday September 3rd): Introduction: Settler Colonialism, the Indian Act and Indigenous Art Histories
This class will serve as an introduction to some dominant terms and themes covered over the course of the semester, with a focus on settler colonialism, decolonization and the state of the field of art history. We will discuss the impact of the Indian Act on the lives and rights of Indigenous peoples in Canada and examine the document’s centrality in two contemporary art case studies.
Readings: John Milloy. “Indian Act Colonialism: A Century of Dishonour, 1869-1969.” Research Paper for the National Centre for First Nations Governance, 2008.
David Capell. “The Invention of Line: Nadia Myre’s Indian Act.” Parachute (July 2003): 99-111.
Suggested: Cheyenne Turions, “Decolonization, Reconciliation, and the Extra-Rational Potential of the Arts.” Arts Everywhere. March 23, 2016. - http://artseverywhere.ca/2016/03/23/1218/
Heather Igloliorte and Carla Taunton. “Introduction: Continuities Between Eras: Indigenous Art Histories.” RACAR: Revue d'art canadienne 42, no. 2 (2017): 5–12.
Artists: Nadia Myre, Angel De Cora, Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun
WEEK 2 (September 8th and 10th): The Evolution of the “Imaginary Indian”: Popular Culture and the Production of Authenticity
This week will concern media representation and the perpetuation of stereotypes in popular culture. We will discuss the portrayal of Indigenous people in film, television, media and advertising.
Listen to this Podcast: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/lights-camera-oscars-meet-the-creators-decolonizing- hollywood-1.5450603
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Readings: Elizabeth Bird. “Savage Desires: The Gendered Construction of the American Indian in Popular Media.” Selling the Indian: Commercializing and Appropriating American Indian Cultures. Eds. Carter Jones Meyer and Diane Roger. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2001: 62-98.
Liza Black, “The Exiles: Native Survivance and Urban Space in Downtown Los Angeles.” American Indian Culture and Research Journal 42:3 (2018) 155-82.
Suggested: Nicholas G. Rosenthal and Liza Black. “Representing Native Peoples: Native Narratives of Indigenous History and Culture.” American Indian Culture and Research Journal 42:3 (2018) 1-9.
Bruce Erickson. “‘A Phantasy in White in a World That is Dead’: Grey Owl and the Whiteness of Surrogacy.” Rethinking the Great White North: Race, Nature, and the Historical Geographies of Whiteness in Canada. Eds. Andrew Baldwin, Laura Cameron, and Audrey Kobayashi. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 2011: 19-38.
Rayna Green. “The Tribe Called Wannabee: Playing Indian in America and Europe.” Folklore 99.1 (1998): 30-55.
WEEK 3 (September 15th and 17th): The Métis, Flower Beadwork People
In this class, we will engage in a more in-depth discussion of the Indian Act and it’s regulation of Indigenous identity, focusing on the position of the Métis and other “non-status” Indigenous peoples. Discussing the work of contemporary and historical artists, we will consider issues around art, identity and the importance of material culture for Indigenous artwork.
Readings:
David Garneau. “Contemporary Métis Art: Prophetic Obligation and the Individual Talent.” Close Encounters: The Next 500 Years. Ed. Sherry Farrell Racette. Winnipeg: Plugin Editions, 2011: 106-113.
Sherry Farrell Racette. "Beads, Silk and Quills: The Clothing and Decorative Arts of the Metis." Metis Legacy, (2001): 181-88.
Suggested: Christi Belcourt, Rita Flamand, Olive Whitford, Laura Burnouf, and Rose Richardson, Medicines to Help Us Traditional Métis Plant Use: Study Prints & Resource Guide, (Saskatoon: Gabriel Dumont Institute, 2007).
Ted Brasser, “In Search of métis Art” in The New Peoples: Being and Becoming Métis in North America, edited by Jacqueline Peterson and Jennifer Brown, 222-230. Winnipeg: The University of Manitoba Press, 1985.
Gloria Jane Bell, "Voyageur Re-presentations and Complications: Frances Anne Hopkins and the Métis Nation of Ontario." Wicazo Sa Review 28, no. 1 (2013): 100-118.
Bonita Lawrence. “Gender, Race, and the Regulation of Native Identity in Canada and the United States: An Overview.” Hypatia 18.2. Indigenous Women in the Americas (Spring 2003): 3-31.
Watch this film: Sonia Boileau, “Alberta.” Skindigenous. CBC Gem, February 20, 2018. Video, 22:04. https://gem.cbc.ca/media/skindigenous/season-1/episode-2/38e815a-0110eeddc7b
Artists: David Garneau, Christi Belcourt, Bob Boyer, Jim Logan
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WEEK 4 (September 22nd and 24th): Northern Exposure: Arctic Sovereignty and Contemporary Inuit Art
COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE CHECK 1
E-Visit with librarian David Greene September 22 – best practices for a research paper
This week will examine the ways in which the North has been mythologized in specifically racial terms and how such conceptions function politically for the Indigenous peoples living in the area. We will examine the work of a number of contemporary Inuit artists as well as considering the ways in which Inuit art has been marketed both nationally and globally over the past few decades. We will begin a screening of the film Atanarjuat to be completed in the following week’s class.
Watch this film: Atanarjuat (Dir. Zacharias Kunuk, 2001) (2 h 52 minutes) https://mcgill.on.worldcat.org/oclc/990038932 disclaimer: graphic sexual scenes, violence
Readings: Heather Igloliorte. “The Inuit of Our Imagination.” Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection. Ed. Gerald McMaster. Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario; Vancouver: Douglas &McIntyre, 2010: 41-47.
Deborah Root. “Inuit Art and the Limits of Authenticity.” Inuit Art Quarterly 23.2 (Summer 2008): 18-26.
Suggested: Ingo Hessel. “‘I Am an Inuit Artist’: The Rise of the Individual Artist,” & “I Am an Artist: Inuit Art Transcends Ethnicity.” Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection. Ed. Gerald McMaster. Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario; Vancouver: Douglas &McIntyre, 2010: 105-110 & 187-192.
James Sinclair. “David Ruben Piqtoukun: Between Two Worlds.” Inuit Art Quarterly 19.3/4 (Fall/Winter 2004): 24-30.
Robert Kardosh. “Transcending the Particular: Feminist Vision in the Sculpture of Oviloo Tunnillie.” Inuit Art Quarterly 24.3 (Fall 2009): 24-33.
Artists: Johnny Inukpuk, Osuitok Ipeelee, Karoo Ashvak, Helen Kalvak, Kenojuak Ashevak, Jessie Oonark, Annie Pootoogook, David Ruben Piqtoukun, Oviloo Tunnillie
WEEK 5 (September 29th and October 1rst ): Inuit Art Continued: Atanarjuat
This week will be taken up by a film screening of Atanarjuat, directed by Inuit filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk.
Film Screening: Atanarjuat (Dir. Zacharias Kunuk, 2001) (2 h 52 minutes) (continuation)
Reading: Kimberly Chun and Zacharias Kunuk. “Storytelling in the Arctic Circle: An Interview with Zacharias Kunuk.” Cinéaste 28.1 (Winter 2002): 21-23.
Suggested: Lucas Bessire. “Talking Back to Primitivism: Divided Audiences, Collective Desires.” American Anthropologist 105.4. Special Issue: Language Politics and Practices (December 2003): 832-838.
Listen to this podcast: Rosanna Deerchild, “Greetings from Iqaluit: Exploring the Strength of Inuit Culture.” Unreserved, May 12, 2019. https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-105-unreserved/clip/15697720-greetings-iqaluit-exploring-strength-inuit-culture
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WEEK 6 (October 6th and 8th): Colonial Representation and the Construction of the Imaginary Indian
Guest Speaker TBD*
October 8th – Midterm Distributed on MyCourses This week will consider the colonial construction of “authentic Indians” and the strategic tendency – in history painting, anthropology and ethnography – to relegate Indigenous peoples to the past and deny their contemporary existence. We will look at a number of contemporary artists who challenge this form of representation in painting, drawing, photography and performance.
Readings: Marcia Crosby. “The Construction of the Imaginary Indian.” Vancouver Anthology: The Institutional Politics of Art. Ed. Stan Douglas. Vancouver: Talon Books, 1991: 267-291.
Suggested: Johannes Fabian. “Chapter 1: Time and the Emerging Other.” Time and the Other: How Anthropology Makes Its Object. New York: Columbia University Press, 2002, 1983: 1-36.
Pauline Wakeham. “Celluloid Salvage: Edward S. Curtis’s Experiments with Photography and Film.” Taxidermic Signs: Reconstructing Aboriginality. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2008: 87- 128.
Scott Watson. “Race, Wilderness, Territory and the Origins of Modern Canadian Landscape Painting.” Semiotext(e) 1.2 (1994):93-104.
Carol Payne and Jeffrey Thomas. “Aboriginal Interventions Into the Photographic Archive: A Dialogue Between Carol Payne and Jeffrey Thomas.” Visual Resources: An International Journal of Documentation 18:2 (2002): 109-125.
Veronica Passalacqua. “Finding Sovereignty Through Relocation.” Visual Currencies: Reflections on Native American Photography. Eds. Henrietta Lidchi and Hullueah Tsinhnashjiniie. Edinburgh: NMSA Publishing Ltd., 2010: 19-35.
Sherry Farrell Racette. “Haunted: First Nations Children in Residential School Photography.” Depicting Canada’s Children. Ed. Loren Lerner. Waterloo: Wilfred Laurier Press, 2009: 49-84. - https://mcgill.on.worldcat.org/oclc/664782937
Watch this film: Chelsea McMullan. In the Making - Shelley Niro. CBC Gem, 2018. Video, 22:04. https://gem.cbc.ca/media/in-the-making/season-1/episode-6/38e815a-00f679f979a
Artists: Edward S. Curtis, Jeffrey Thomas, Dana Claxton, Kent Monkman, Shelley Niro, Arthur Renwick, Will Wilson, Frederick Alexcee
WEEK 7 (October 13th and 15th): Work on Midterm
Use this week to complete your midterm
***DUE: MIDTERM TAKEHOME October 16th
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COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE CHECK 2
This week, we will discuss the politics of museum display and the exhibiting of Indigenous art and culture. We will look at historical exhibition practices and their critique by contemporary artists and curators.
Readings: Pauline Wakeham. “Introduction: Tracking the Taxidermic.” Taxidermic Signs: Reconstructing Aboriginality. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2008: 1-28.
Jane Blocker. “Ambivalent Entertainments: James Luna, Performance, and the Archive.” Grey Room 37 (Fall 2009): 52-77.
Suggested: Kent Monkman. “Wanderings of an Artist by Miss Chief Eagle Testickle.” The Triumph of Mischief: Kent Monkman. Eds. David Liss & Shirley J. Madill. Hamilton: Hamilton Art Gallery, 2007: i-ii.
Peter Morin’s museum: read online at https://moa.ubc.ca/exhibition/peter-morins-museum/
Richard Fung. “Working Through Appropriation.” Fuse 16.5/6 (1993): 16-24.
Zoe Todd, “An Indigenous Feminist’s Take on the Ontological Turn: Ontology is Just Another Word for Colonialism,” Journal of Historical Sociology, March (2016): 4-22.
Listen to this podcast: Wilbur, Matika, and Adrienne Keene. “Indigenous Artist To Artist, Part 3: Who Decides?” All My Relations, August 21, 2020. https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/indigenous-artist-to-artist-part-3-who-decides/id1454424563?i=1000488850359
Artists: James Luna, Brian Jungen, Kent Monkman, Rebecca Belmore, Peter Morin
Week 9 (October 27th and October 29th): Living Archives and Indigenous Futurity
In this week, we will continue our discussion of resilience within Indigenous communities with particular attention on material culture histories, focusing on grassroots community action on the ground, in the arts and online.
Readings: Sherry Farrell Racette, “Pieces Left Along the Trail: Material culture histories and Indigenous Studies: Sherry Farrell Racette in Conversation with Alan Corbiere and Crystal Migwans,” Andersen, Chris, and Jean M. O'Brien, eds. Sources and Methods in Indigenous Studies. (Abingdon: Taylor & Francis, 2016), 223-229.
Alexandra Kapahsenni:io Nahwegahbow, “From Great-Grandmothers to Great-Granddaughters: “Moving Life” in Baby Carriers and Birchbark Baskets,” RACAR, Continuities Between Eras: Indigenous Art Histories, (2017): 100-107.
Suggested: Matthew Ryan Smith, “The Archive in Contemporary Indigenous Art,” First American Art, 12, (2016): 26-33.
Ahasiw Maskegon-Iskwew, “Drumbeats to Drumbytes: The Emergence of Networked Indigenous Art Practice.” ConunDrum Online 1, http://www.conundrumonline.org/ Issue_1/home.htm, 2005.
Listen to this podcast: Thistle, Jessie. “Cree Star Knowledge Keeper, Wilfred Buck! With Special Guest Host Rosanna Deerchild.” Homies Chatting.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=582630572443327&ref=watch_permalink
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Artists: Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, Skawennati, Sonny Assu
WEEK 10 (November 3rd and November 5th): Inversion, Humour and Irony
***DUE: PEER PAPER PROPOSAL***November 5th for Peer Review
Peer Review Activity of Research Proposal on November 5th: On November 5th, we will not have a formal lecture, we will do a peer-review activity. Please upload a copy of your research proposal to MyCourses and be prepared to discuss your work with your peers. Provide constructive feedback for two of your peers using Peer Grade. Guidelines to be provided.
This week will consider the appropriation and commodification of Indigenous identity and culture, as well as tactics of ironic reversal employed by contemporary artists. We will look closely at a number of case studies that attest to the centrality of humour, irony and “tricksterism” in Indigenous art.
Readings: Richard W. Hill, Cheryl L’Hirondelle and Joseph Nayhowtow. “You Are Never Just One Thing in One Place: Tricksters and Contrary Spirits.” The World Upside Down. Eds. Richard W. Hill, Sylvie Gilbert and Doris Cowan. Banff: Walter Phillips Gallery, 2008: 46-53.
Ryan Rice and Carla Taunton. “Buffalo Boy: Then and Now.” Fuse 32.2 (March 2009): 18-25.
Suggested: Homi Bhabha. “Of Mimicry and Man: The Ambivalence of Colonial Discourse.” October 28. Discipleship: A Special Issue on Psychoanalysis (Spring 1984): 125-133.
Artists: Terrance Houle, Adrian Stimson, Lori Blondeau, Kent Monkman, Brian Jungen, Sonny Assu
Listen to this podcast: Sim, Cheryl. “Sonny Assu: Snap, Crackle and Pop.” The Aura, April 21, 2020. https://fondation-phi.org/en/audio/the-aura-sonny-assu/
WEEK 11 (November 10th and 12th): Indigenous Materialities: Cultural Belongings and Hands of History
***DUE: FINAL RESEARCH PROPOSAL DUE ***November 10th: November 12: Visit an online gallery – (details TBD)
This week we will concentrate on Indigenous materialities. In response to a film screening of the documentary Hands of Hisotry, we will examine the interrelations between artists, materials and making.
Watch this Film: Hands of History (Dir. Loretta Todd, 1994) (51 minutes) https://www.nfb.ca/film/hands_of_history/
Reading: Sherry Farrell Racette. “‘This Fierce Love’: Gender, Women, and Art Making.” Art in Our Lives: Native Women Artists in Dialogue. Eds. Cynthia Chavez Lamar and Sherry Farrell Racette with Laura Evans. Santa Fe: School for Advanced Research, 2010: 27-51.
Suggested: Kathleen Ritter. “The Reclining Figure and Other Provocations.” Rebecca Belmore: Rising to the Occasion. Eds. Daina Augaitis and Kathleen Ritter. Vancouver: Vancouver Art Gallery, 2008: 53-65.
Artists: Rebecca Belmore, Christi Belcourt, Dana Claxton
WEEK 12 (November 17th and 19th): Gender and Sexuality
9 COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE CHECK 3
This week we will discuss the effects of the Indian Act, settler colonialism and the Residential School System on the regulation of Indigenous gender and sexuality. We will examine the intersection of queer theory and Indigenous identity politics, specifically in the reclamation of Two-Spirit identification, as well as discussing the social and political consequences of sustained gendered stereotypes.
Readings: Nancy Marie Mithlo. “‘Our Little Indian Woman’: Beyond the Squaw/Princess.” ‘Our Indian Princess’: Subverting the Stereotype. Santa Fe: School For Advanced Research, 2008: 1-14.
Suggested: Qwo-Li Driskill. “Doubleweaving Two-Spirit Critiques: Building Alliances Between Native and Queer Studies.” Sexuality, Nationality, Indigeneity: A Special Issue of GLQ. Eds. Daniel Heath Justice, et. al. Durham: Duke University Press, 2010: 69-92.
Terry Goldie. “Queer Nation.” Eleventh Annual Robarts Lecture. Toronto: York University, 1997.
Listen to this podcast: Wilbur, Matika, and Adrienne Keene. “Ep #6: Indigiqueer.” All My Relations. https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/ep-6-indigiqueer/id1454424563?i=1000434057081
Artists: Adrian Stimson, Lori Blondeau, Kent Monkman, Shelly Niro, Erica Lord
WEEK 13 (November 24th and 26th): Activism, Resilience and Decolonization
This week, we will examine issues of sovereignty, self-determination and decolonization by focusing on art and activism surrounding land and treaty rights. In response to a film screening of Beau Dick: Revolutionary Spirit we will take the work of Beau Dick as primary case study.
***DUE: FINAL RESEARCH PAPER: December 1rst. Must submit digital copy on mycourses.
Watch this film Film: Beau Dick: Maker of Monsters- Revolutionary Spirit https://gem.cbc.ca/media/films/maker-of- monsters-the-extraordinary-life-of-beau-dick/38e815a-00ebd987a27
Reading: Loretta Todd. “Yuxweluptun: A Philosophy of History.” Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun: Born to Live and Die on Your Colonialist Reservations. Vancouver: Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, University of British Columbia, 1995: 45-48.
Suggested: Daina Augaitis and Rebecca Belmore. “Ayum-ee-aawach Ooomama-mowan: Speaking to their Mother.” This is an Honour Song: Twenty Years Since the Blockades. Eds. Leanne Simpson and Kiera L. Ladner. Winnipeg: Arbeiter Ring Publishing, 2010: 205-2010.
Artists: Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, Rebecca Belmore, Beau Dick
Wanda Nanibush. “Love and Other Resistances: Responding to Kahnesatà:ke Through Artistic Practice.” This is an Honour Song: Twenty Years Since the Blockades. Eds. Leanne Simpson and Kiera L. Ladner. Winnipeg: Arbeiter Ring Publishing, 2010: 165-193.
Listen to this podcast: Deerchild, Rosanna. “Repatriation: Bringing Ancestral Artifacts and Remains Home.” Unreserved, June 16, 2019. https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-105-unreserved/clip/15718348-repatriation-bringing-ancestral-artifacts-and- remains-home
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