nov 11 no class- curatorial analysis
There was no class because it was Remembrance Day, so I decided to post the curatorial analysis I did on “Indigenous Voices of Today: Knowledge, Trauma, Resilience” located at the McCord Stewart Museum in Montreal. I was searching all the galleries for an exhibition that I could write on and this was the one I landed on. I spent a lot of time looking, reading, and learning in the exhibition, it was defiantly one of my favourites.
Curatorial Analysis
“Indigenous Voices of Today: Knowledge, Trauma, Resilience” is a permanent exhibition at the McCord Stewart Museum in Montreal. Curated by Elizabeth Kaine, the co-holder of the UNESCO Chair at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi, and longtime curator at the museum. The exhibition walks you through the violent history of abuse and loss experienced by Indigenous communities, as well as their profound resilience. Using spatial design, over one hundred cultural artifacts, and stories from members of different Indigenous Nations in Quebec, Kaine explores the before, and after effects of European colonizers on the Indigenous communities.
The exhibition was organized into four spaces, the entrance space, two large rooms, and the exit. Each curated with the intent to educate and recognize the injustices Indigenous people face through a linear, yet circular progression of events. When entering the gallery space, you are first greeted by the walls covered by enlarged photos of a lively forest that give the illusion of walking through a real forest. Some of the trees have a pixilated look from a far but upon further inspection, they are revealed to be beaded, a very common traditional Indigenous practice. In order to fully enter the space, you have to walk around this projected video of Indigenous peoples from nations in Quebec sharing stories in both English and French. This is an unavoidable first introduction to the exhibition that forces the viewer acknowledge the work and gives insight as to what the exhibition entails.
Then, you enter a very spacious room with crisp white walls and four long plinths resembling the shape of traditional Indigenous canoes. The plinths stretch from one end of the room to the other, on these plinths there are a selection of cultural belongings from the Museum’s Indigenous Cultures collection, chosen carefully by Innu Jean St-Onge. The layout of the room allows for the viewer to travel up and down the plinths effortlessly to fully take in all of the cultural Indigenous artifacts displayed on them. The items ranged from traditional Indigenous clothing to small historically accurate replicas of Indigenous boats etc. Each item was paired with a concise but insightful piece of text describing the object, what it was used for, and why it’s significant to the culture. Along the walls were photographs of happy Indigenous families, smiling children and enlarged pieces of informational text.
The next room, blocked off by glass doors, had an immediate energy switch. The walls were black with blood red text scattered around the room, telling different aspects in which the indigenous people were negatively affected by European settlers. On the furthest wall is a large image of a depressing, grey, dead forest with only the bare tree branches that mimic the forest in the entrance. Around the room there are more videos, photographs, cultural artifacts, and pieces of text on the wall, most of them relating to residential schools and/or the impact of colonization. There were lots of videos and pieces of residential school survivors and the family members of survivors telling their stories, rather than walking around the room at your own pace, you were encouraged to stop and listen.
Then moving through the room towards the exit, stood Trade Ornament, 2021 a piece by Ludovic Boney. A human size brooch with red, yellow, and green tie-down straps, resembling colourful ribbon used on traditional Indigenous clothing. The silver medallions and broches were typically given to Indigenous allies by Europeans as gifts during the early 19th century. This piece acts as a symbol of hope and the future, the integration and collaboration of both cultures. Towards the very exit there is the enlarged same tree photograph on the wall as the beginning, as well as fourteen small, connected screens that display a pixilated tree pattern.
Kaine used subtle spatial design decisions to convey the broader themes of the exhibition. For example, the order of the layout in which Kaine decided, allows the viewer to experience the exhibition in a chronological sense that is mirrors the historical trajectory of the Indigenous experience, the connection to the land, colonization, and the process of healing. The entrance symbolizing the connection Indigenous communities have to the land through an immersive approach. Then, entering the second space you walk around the room feeling like a spectator looking into glass cases, getting a glimpse into how the Indigenous people lived their lives for hundreds of years. The white walls giving a sense of innocence and light paired with the green text symbolizing the earth and growth. Then, brutally and abruptly confronted with the cold black walls and dead forest symbolizing the pain and loss the Indigenous peoples faced due to colonizers, along with the red text symbolizing the violence and blood lost. The dark atmosphere of the second room coming almost completely without a warning and without permission, parallels the colonizers on native land. Kaine also made the decision to include personal stories from real life survivors and survivors of generational trauma, the second room was also mostly filled with video pieces in contrast to the first room that was mostly historical artifacts. Sharing stories is an integral part of the Indigenous community, including this aspect of storytelling allows the viewer to understand the stories on a more personal and emotional level, which helps people better grasp the stories. It also allows the stories to be told how the survivor intends them to be, which helps respect and protect the individuals involved in the exhibition. Then finally the exit that ties all the rooms together with similar tree motifs, as well as incorporating a contemporary sculpture that demonstrates the two opposing forces intertwined gives you a sense hope. Finally, text that talks about healing and the idea of reconciliation to leave the viewer thinking.
In conclusion, Elizabeth Kaine uses strategic spatial design methods to help create an exhibition that brings light to and acknowledges the wounds that the Indigenous communities are working to heal from, told from their perspectives, through their voices. She uses the Museum’s Indigenous Cultures collection and stories from members of a number of Indigenous Nations to further display the effects of colonizers on Indigenous communities and culture. Overall, Kaine’s contributions to the exhibition allows for “Indigenous Voices of Today: Knowledge, Trauma, Resilience” to become a space for, remembrance, education, and meaningful connection.
