June 21st Is National Indigenous Peoples Day!
Above: This mural is the second of three by xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) weaver, graphic designer and artist, Debra Sparrow for the Vancouver Mural Festival as part of the Blanketing The City Series 2018-2019. Location: 12th & Kingsway on the (former) Biltmore Hotel/ (current) Raincity Transitional Housing Program.
JUNE 21ST IS NATIONAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY
Make sure to grab a friend and get out to some of the amazing events happening tomorrow!
Below are a few highlights and recommendations from our team.
TROUT LAKE PARK INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY
This FREE family friendly event takes place Trout Lake on June 21st from noon - 5pm.
Enjoy a day in the sun with all day entertainment, activities, food and fun brought to you by the community.
Find more information in this Daily Hive article.
ABORIGINAL FRIENDSHIP CENTRE IN SURREY
A FREE family friendly celebration and wellness event at Holland Park on June 21st from 3pm - 8pm.
Expect to be fully immersed in traditional games, crafts, activities, performances, and food!
Visit their calendar of events for more details!
BILL REID GALLERY
Enjoy FREE ADMISSION to the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art on June 21st from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. The current exhibit, Womxn and Waterways is curated by the #rematriate collective.
Find the Facebook Event here!
DECOLONIZE YOUR THINKING
How does one do this? HINT: It does not happen overnight, there is no course you can take, no quick fix and it’s a different process for each person. So, where to begin? We recommend starting (or continuing) your process by following Michelle Lorna Nahanee on instagram and diving deep into her freshly published “5 THINGS YOU CAN ACTIVELY DO TO SUPPORT INDIGENOUS PEOPLE” and then to begin applying everything you can from this list!
VMF’s COMMITMENTGoing back to the first year of our festival in 2016, we understood that the Vancouver Mural Festival is held on the traditional unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ / sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples. Because of this we have worked to find multiple ways to leverage the events and the public art we create to promote cultural redress and reconciliation with these nations and their people. We also believe that the best way to engage in this kind of work is to treat it as a process rather than a goal or a box that needs to be checked. The mural art made by the indigenous artists at our festival each year, as much as it is a bold expression and a visual communication, we know the art on the wall is only part of the work. As we continue to build relationships with Indigenous artists in Vancouver (both with local Coast Salish and from across Turtle Island), we strive to build an approach to creating public art that integrates an growing understanding of the complexity and importance of cultural protocol, representation, consent, and relationship.
Learn more about VMF’s Indigenous program through some of our blogs.
Blanketing The City: A Mural SeriesInterview With VMF’S 2018 Kulus Program CoordinatorDerek Edenshaw On The Leona Edenshaw Memorial Mural
