A meeting place for all cultures, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) is the guardian of a collection that reflects the richness and material, conceptual and cultural plurality of Indigenous artists.
On the occasion of National Indigenous Peoples Day, the MMFA invites the public to come and celebrate the cultures and history of the First Peoples at the Museum in a spirit of rapprochement between communities.
Renée Condo, (born in 1979), Iluigneg, 2023.
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, purchase, Museum Campaign funds 1988-1993. Photo MBAM, Jean-François Brière
“The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is a crossroads of communities and meanings, a place where stories from a multitude of cultures intersect. On June 21, we have a special opportunity to highlight the contributions of the First Peoples to our collective heritage. Join us, in a spirit of openness and respect, to celebrate Indigenous history and artistic diversity», declares Stéphane AquinDirector General of the MMFA.
Wednesday June 19 at 5:30 p.m.as a preamble to this day of recognition, the MMFA will present, at the Maxwell-Cummings Auditorium, the free conversation Overview of Indigenous initiatives at the MMFA.
Curator of indigenous practices at the MMFA for a year, Léuli Eshrāghi (member of the seumanutafa and tautua clans, Sāmoan people) will discuss with Mary-Dailey Desmarais, chief curator of the MMFA, of her role in preserving and highlighting the work of indigenous artists from Quebec, Canada and internationally. For the occasion, they will present some works from different territories and periods that have recently entered the Museum’s collection.
Friday June 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.the Museum opens its doors, offering everyone thefree access to its collections and exhibitions (*except for the major exhibition Vice, virtue, desire, madness: three centuries of flamenco masterpiecesnds). FREE ENTRANCE.
A new space dedicated to Inuit art at the MMFA
A pioneer in the research and collection of Inuit art since 1953, the MMFA continues to enrich its collection made up of some 900 works created by more than 300 artists from Alaska to Kalaallit Nunaat, including the Inuit territories of Canada. With the assistance of the artist and curator asinnajaqthe MMFA will unveil the next November 8 a new presentation of this collection in a bright space twice as large, redesigned within the Michal and Renata Hornstein pavilion.
Under the title ᐅᒻ ᒪᖁᑎᒃ uummaqutik: essence of life, this redeployment will bring together prints, drawings, photographs, paintings, sculptures and sound works. Favoring a bold narrative approach, a journey punctuated by around a hundred rotating works will reflect the richness and eclecticism of Inuit art from yesterday to today.
Free entry for members of indigenous communities
As part of its accessibility program, the MMFA offers, at all times, free access to its collections and exhibitions to people from Indigenous communities. This offer only applies to eligible individuals.
THANKS
ᐅᒻ ᒪᖁᑎᒃ uummaqutik: essence of life is carried out in part thanks to the financial participation of the government of Quebec and the Hilary & Galen Weston Foundation.
The Overview of Indigenous Initiatives conference is made possible thanks to the Fondation de la Chenelière, a major sponsor of education and community engagement programs, and the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the Government of Quebec.
Number of readings: 21
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