Catalogue Launch - Ursula Johnson: Mi’kwite’tmn (Do You Remember)
16 October 2019
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
RSVP: https://smu.ca/galleryevent
Saint Mary’s University Art Gallery is pleased to announce the publication and launch of the catalogue Ursula Johnson: Mi’kwite’tmn (Do You Remember). Mi’kwite’tmn represents an exhibition that originated at SMUAG in 2014 by artist Ursula Johnson, and then toured across Canada for the following five years. This exhibit examines ideas of ancestry, identity and cultural practice. Johnson deconstructs and manipulates the function and image of Mi’kmaw basketry, using traditional techniques to build non-functional forms. The catalogue includes essays and interviews about the work. It is a trilingual publication – with texts provided in Mi’kmaw, French and English.
The launch will include a ceremonial welcome and a discussion between Diane Mitchell (Mi'kmaw translator), artist Ursula Johnson and Director/Curator Robin Metcalfe on the intricacies and challenges of translating text into Mi'kmaw. The catalogue will be available for purchase.
Ursula Johnson is a performance and installation artist of Mi’kmaw First Nation ancestry. She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally since graduating from the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design with a BFA in Interdisciplinary studies in 2006. Her performances are often place-based and employ cooperative didactic intervention. Recent works include various mediums of sculpture that create consideration from her audience about aspects of intangible cultural heritage as it pertains to the consumption of traditional knowledge within the context of colonial institutions. Johnson has been shortlisted for the Salt Spring National Art Prize and the Nova Scotia Masterworks Award and she was the 2017 winner of the Sobey Art Award.
Admission to this launch event is free.
Catalogue will be available for purchase for $50.00 (including tax). Cash, credit and debit accepted.