Saturday 8 October 2011

Call for Submissions / Thunderbird Aboriginal Arts / Ancestral Teachings: Contemporary Perspectives

Call for Submissions / Thunderbird Aboriginal Arts / Ancestral Teachings: Contemporary Perspectives / Toronto, ON / Deadline Date: Friday, October 14, 2011

Ancestral Teachings: Contemporary Perspectives will be an exhibition of contemporary Aboriginal Art taking place at the Gladstone Hotel, Toronto, November 15th - 30th, 2011. The exhibition will showcase artwork that will explore how contemporary Aboriginal artists draw upon the values and lessons from oral culture to explore present-day contexts. The central theme of the exhibition will be the Anishnawbe story of the Seven Grandfather Teachings. However, we welcome submissions that explore the contemporary relevance of other
stories and lessons, or art that embodies but does not necessarily directly engage with the Seven Grandfather Teachings.

The Seven Grandfather Teachings is a traditional Anishnawbe story that imparts seven integral principles to live by:
To cherish knowledge is to know wisdom;
To know Love is to know peace;
To honour all of Creation is to have respect;
Bravery is to face the foe with integrity;
Honesty in facing a situation is to be brave;
Humility is to know yourself as a sacred part of Creation;
Truth is to know all of these things.*

Ancestral Teachings: Contemporary Perspectives poses the questions:  How do the Seven Grandfather Teachings influence our contemporary Aboriginal lives? How does contemporary art reflect the story of the Teachings? How do the Teachings influence personal relationships? What relevance might they have for communities, politics or negotiations with institutions or government? This exhibition is open to painting, print making, drawing, new media, performance art, video art, sculpture, installation, spoken word and audio art, bead work, quill work, and textile art that responds to the exhibition theme and purposed questions.

Ancestral Teachings: Contemporary Perspectives is being curated by Vanessa Dion Fletcher, a curatorial intern working with Thunderbird Aboriginal Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurial Centre.

Submission Process
This exhibition is open to all Aboriginal artists, i.e., First Nations (Status and Non-Status), Metis and Inuit.

Please send the following by email in an attachment to Vanessa Dion Fletcher at  Vanessa.curatorial@thunderbirdcentre.ca no later than October 14th, 2011

-10 images jpegs/jpgs only, 1 MB max file size each.
-3-5 minutes of video or audio in .mov .mp4 or mp3, max file size 3mb or a url link
-Corresponding image list including, title, medium, dimensions, date, of each art work.
-Short statement (250 words maximum) describing relevance of the art to the exhibition theme.

Selection Process
Exhibition submissions will be reviewed by the exhibition curator, Vanessa Dion Fletcher, and a curatorial advisory panel; those artists whose work has been selected will be notified by October 28th, 2011.

Payment to those participating artists will be made as per CARFAC guidelines upon receipt of the art work.

Email Vanessa Dion Fletcher at vanessa.curatorial@thunderbirdcentre.ca with any questions regarding the exhibition or submission process.
http://www.thunderbirdcentre.ca/

*Source: The Mishomis Book: The Voice of the Ojibway. Edward Benton--Banai

 

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