Indigenous Digital Artistic Hub: “A Pedagogy of Place” – the Simcoe Underpass Mural Project

Tannis Nielsen, (a Métis Woman of Anishnawbe and Danish descent) has twenty years of professional experience in the arts, cultural and community sectors, and twelve years of teaching practice at the post-secondary level. She holds a Masters in Visual Studies Degree (M.V.S.) from the University of Toronto an Art and Art History-Specialist Degree from U of T, as well as a Diploma in Art and Art History from Sheridan College. Tannis’s research and teaching practice engages with the areas of anti-colonial theory, natural law/Indigenous governance, Indigenous arts activism(s), and the relative investigations of Indigenous science and Western quantum physics.

Register for the event and join in a conversation with Tannis Nielson on the pedagogy of place and the Simcoe Mural Project.

Date: May 21st, 2020

Time: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Indigenous Digital Artistic Hub relations of care for human and more-than-human be-ings

Welcome to the Indigenous Digital Artistic Hub: relations of care for human and more-than-human be-ings, a multiscalar site of Indigenous imaginings, futurisms, and land-ings that call us into radical relationality. The Indigenous Digital Artistic Hub is the first of a three-part series of online research-creation hubs curated by Karyn Recollet, featuring international and national Indigenous knowledge holders entitled: “We prepare a space: Conversations, happenings, and arts-based pedagogy.” The vision for this first iteration is to hold and sustain Indigenous artistic practice in accordance with the creation of radical ethical relationally between ourselves, our more than human kin, and lands. Particularly important are the ways in which we hold space for Ishpaadina as a space of water, land relationship, and celestial relationality. Join us as we transform New College into a hub of ‘happenings’ though conversation, artistic creation, and art-visim . 

In May 2020, New College was excited to host an artistic care hub during the annual Native American Indigenous Studies Association conference (NAISA), co-curated by Karyn Recollet (Assistant Professor, Women and Gender Studies Institute) and Jenny Blackbird (Ciimann/Kahuwe’ya/ Qajaq Indigenous Language initiative program coordinator, Centre for Indigenous Studies).  As well, the D.G. Ivey Library was excited to host Ange Loft’s Talking Treaties in Tkaronto multi-media installation. 

With the unfortunate cancellation of NAISA due to COVID-19,  the Indigenous Digital Artistic Hub, as an offering to our communities, we, alongside exceptional Indigenous artists and art-ivists offer creative ‘happenings’ including a multi-media ‘happening’ featuring Ange Loft’s Talking Treaties in Tkaronto;  a live digital studio visit with Nyle Johnston; a conversation with Tannis Nielson about pedagogy of place and the Simcoe Mural project; an activation of relationality and kinship through bead-work with Naomi Smith; reclaiming our bodies through somatics with Nazbah Tom; and an activation of relations of care through design and applique with Tala Tootoosis.