The Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art presents the Western Canadian premiere of Indigenous History in Colour, a solo exhibition by Luke Parnell. The exhibition is a powerful exploration of the relationship between Northwest Coast Indigenous oral histories, conceptual art, and traditional formline design.
Luke Parnell – Neon Reconciliation Explosion (2020). Acrylic on birch plywood, pine, presswood. Photo by Toni Hafkenscheid. Courtesy MKG127.
Indigenous History in Colour by Luke Parnell
When: February 3 to May 9, 2021, Wed – Sun from 11:00am to 5:00pm
A virtual opening celebration, featuring Parnell and curator Beth Carter in conversation, will be hosted via Facebook Live on Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 6:00pm.
Where: Bill Reid Gallery (639 Hornby St, Vancouver)
Admission: Adults $13; Seniors $10; Students $8; youth $6; Children free. Free admission offered for Indigenous Peoples, Gallery Members, and current SFU students with ID.
Indigenous History in Colour’s multidisciplinary analysis of the shifting perspectives of Northwest Coast art in modern history challenges contemporary discourse on notions of reconciliation and representation today.
“Inspired by oral traditions, history, pop culture, and Bill Reid, Parnell’s playful juxtapositions and bold commentary shine a spotlight on the work still needed to bring about authentic reconciliation for Indigenous peoples,” says Beth Carter, curator of the Bill Reid Gallery.
First shown at MKG127 Gallery in Toronto in July 2020, Indigenous History in Colour centres on the concept of transformation, both as it relates to Indigenous storytelling traditions as well as changing interpretations of Northwest Coast art over time. The West Coast premiere will feature two new large works, eight paintings, and a short film and accompanying totem pole — the latter works added to the exhibition for Parnell’s Bill Reid Gallery debut.
“Research and exploration have become the basis of my artistic practice. In order to understand histories and concepts, in order to explore emotion and contemporary events, I create artworks,” says Parnell. “My artwork asks questions but never answers them.”
The largest work in the exhibition, Neon Reconciliation Explosion (2020), is a collaborative installation that both embraces and questions reconciliation. Parnell created a Northwest Coast housefront with a large butterfly design in Nisga’a style, which was then divided into 44 panels. The squares were painted by 55 community members with bright neon colours, in reflection of their own personal understanding of reconciliation. Parnell’s own panel stands out in contrast — a bare, hollow doorway with carvings of the initials CB and TF, in memory of the lost lives of Colten Boushie and Tina Fontaine.
Parnell also has a short film Remediation (2018), which delves into the long-lasting implications of the removal of ancient totem poles from Haida Gwaii, as a critical response to a Bill Reid documentary produced in the 1950s. Parnell’s film is a cross-country journey carrying half of one of his own totems back to the coast, where it is then ceremonially burned. The ashes and the remaining half of the totem will also be on display.
About the Artist
Raised in northern BC, Parnell is a contemporary artist and Assistant Professor at OCAD University. He is Wilp Laxgiik Nisga’a from Gingolx on his mother’s side and Haida from Massett on his father’s side. Having apprenticed with a Master Northwest Coast Indigenous carver, he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts at OCAD U and a Master of Applied Arts from Emily Carr University of Art + Design. His artistic practice explores the relationship between Northwest Coast Indigenous oral histories and art, with a focus on transformation narratives. Parnell’s work, which combines both traditional and contemporary symbols, has been exhibited at the National Gallery of Canada and the Biennial of Contemporary Native Arts in Montreal, among others.
On this day forty years ago (January 12, 1981) the publicly funded educational television network, Knowledge Network, hit the airwaves.
Happy 40th Knowledge Network
“In a media landscape cluttered with sensational content from often-dubious sources, you can always count on Knowledge to provide intelligent programming you can trust. We search the world to bring you programs that inspire, challenge, and delight, free from commercial interruptions.“
Knowledge Network acquires and commissions over 750 hours of original programming per year, with funding from the provincial government and over 40,000 individual donors. It has the most-watched kids programming on weekday mornings and prime time viewing has gained a lot of traction in recent years.
Here are five programs that John and I have really enjoyed over the last year, all available on demand right now when you sign up for free:
Five Shows to Watch Right Now
Search and Rescue North Shore: A five-part Knowledge Original series that follows the heroic members of Canada’s busiest volunteer search and rescue team as they set off by foot and helicopter to rescue people from the rugged wilderness of North Vancouver.
c̓əsnaʔəm, the city before the city: Directed by Elle-Maija Tailfeathers, the city before the city tells the story of the Musqueam First Nation’s 200-day vigil to halt a Vancouver condo development that unearthed ancestral remains.
Coast: The award-winning series Coast presented by Neil Oliver and a team of experts celebrates the character of the British Isles, exploring secrets and stories about the people, wildlife and its shores. There are also Australia and New Zealand seasons.
Haida Modern: In the 50 years since he carved his first totem pole and saw it raised on Haida Gwaii, Robert Davidson has come to be regarded as one of the world’s foremost modern artists.
Vancouver: No Fixed Address: As housing costs in cities around the world skyrocket, Vancouverites fight to preserve homes as living spaces, not global commodities.
On top of finding Knowledge on your TELUS, Shaw or Bell cable devices, you can also watch anytime, for free, on demand, online (from your smart TV, AppleTV or browser). We’ve watched so many Knowledge Network shows throughout the pandemic in 2020, that we’ve donated to become Knowledge Partners — yes, there is a tote bag option, among several other gifts.
EcoStories Film Camp is an exciting new opportunity, offered by the Stanley Park Ecology Society in collaboration with The Cinematheque, where youth ages 14-17 can explore their reciprocal relationship with nature and make a short film about it.
EcoStories Film Camp
Where: Distanced in person, and virtual When: March 15 to March 26, 2021 Register: Online here. SPES members $430, non-members $470. Bursaries available for Indigenous youth.
Through a variety of nature-based activities, including weaving with plants, youth will learn from diverse knowledge holders about the natural world and the power of story-telling. Experts from The Cinematheque will coach and empower youth to convey these learnings and connections via a short film made on a smartphone.
The format will allow for social distancing while offering campers the opportunity to safely engage with camp leaders and fellow participants. Participants must be comfortable with self-direction for the nature activities, filming, and drop ins to the Stanley Park Ecology Society’s offices at the Dining Pavilion and Nature House, or else have guardians available to assist and supervise. A tentative daily schedule can be found online here.
Participants are welcome to use their own phones/laptops, but will have access to smartphones for filming, basic film equipment, and laptops for editing their work. They will be able to sign out all equipment to use for their filmmaking process.
For more information visit the Stanley Park Ecology Society website.
Since pandemic restrictions began in March of 2020, the Vancouver Art Gallery has been hosting bi-monthly curator talks and tours online called the Art Connects series. The next virtual event will be a tour and conversation with Connie Wattsat YVR Airport.
Tour and Conversation with Connie Watts at YVR Airport
For this special Art Connects, viewers will go inside YVR’s Pacific Passage, a public art installation within one of the airport’s arrival gates that features the large-scale sculpture Hetux (2000).
I’ve chosen to highlight this particular event on its own as when I saw the listing, how much I really missed travel just really sunk in. There’s nothing like coming home through the Pacific Passage.
Hetux is Watts’ largest indoor sculptural work, and it greets guests and visitors to these unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəyəm (Musqueam), Sḵwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Named after Watt’s grandmother, this dramatic work represents the mythological Thunderbird—known as the keeper of the city—and shares knowledge and stories through motifs that can be deciphered through close looking.
Following this behind-the-scenes tour, Watts will speak to her multi-disciplinary art practice and how it relates to ideas of welcoming. She will also discuss how she chooses to share the stories that are carried through her ancestors.
This event will be moderated by Melissa Lee, Director of Public Programs, and Stephanie Bokenfohr, Public Programs Coordinator. Special thanks and gratitude to Kate Swaney of the Vancouver Airport Authority for helping to coordinate this program.
You can watch all 32 previous Art Connects events online for free.
About the Artist
Connie Watts is the Associate Director, Aboriginal Programs at Emily Carr University of Art + Design (“ECUAD”). She is an interdisciplinary artist, writer, curator, educator and designer of Nuu-chah-nulth, Gitxsan and Kwakwaka’wakw ancestry. Born and raised in Campbell River, Connie has a Bachelor of Interior Design from the University of Manitoba and a BFA from ECUAD.
Since 2001, Heritage Vancouver has published an annual Endangered Sites Watch List, to raise awareness for ten places that they believe are vulnerable in the city.
Heritage Vancouver’s Endangered Sites Watch List
Little Mountain Comedy Department is a collective of Vancouver comedians, determined to produce Vancouver’s funniest live shows at Vancouver’s favourite hole-in-the-wall at 195 E 26th Avenue, Vancouver
“Whether it’s a Kingsway butcher, a Killarney bakery, or a Kerrisdale tailor, our neighbourhoods wouldn’t be the same without these go-to places and the personalities there that have gotten to know us.” – Tyee reporter Chris Cheung
In early September, they made a decision to release two entries on for the 2020 list that were especially relevant to the pandemic. They were the threats to Arts and Culture and the threats to local neighbourhood businesses. On December 31st Heritage Vancouver announced the rest of the Top Ten Watch List for 2020:
Arts and Culture
Neighbourhood Businesses
Henry Hudson Wooden Schoolhouse
Holy Rosary Cathedral Complex
St. Paul’s Hospital
False Creek South
Broadway Plan
Historic Street Elements
Vancouver Plan
Postmodern Architecture in Vancouver
The Broadway Plan and Vancouver Plan will be significant in changing contexts for heritage places across the city as the plans will determine how future development will unfold across the city.
There is tremendous public history and identity tied to St. Paul’s Hospital. Its move and the redevelopment of the site will mean substantial change to the character of the West End. The fate of the architecturally important Burrard Building also remains uncertain.
1923 – St Paul’s Hospital. Archives # Bu N251.
False Creek South makes its third appearance on the list as there remains great uncertainty around the aspects that make this a significant living neighbourhood.
Heritage Vancouver also wants to draw attention to some things that tend to be unnoticed by many people and have included an entry each on historic street elements and Postmodern architecture in Vancouver.
1906 Sidewalk Stamp along the 2000 block of Haro Street
“The best way to support local art and culture is through attending, purchasing, viewing, listening, watching—consuming—local art and culture. During the last couple of months, many artists have taken to on-line forums to communicate their art. While in the short term this is imperative to stop the spread of the virus, once we are able to gather together, the best way to support local artists is to get back out to visit galleries, listen to musicians and theatre artists, eat local cuisine, watch live dance, read and listen to poets, purchase local authors.” – Elia Kirby, the Arts Factory Society
Follow Heritage Vancouver on Facebook for more information, insights, and actions.
