Early Days: Indigenous Art at the McMichael

After a landmark international tour, Early Days: Indigenous Art the McMichael returns to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. First presented in 2020-2021, this critically acclaimed exhibition has become a defining exploration of the depth, diversity, and vitality of Indigenous art in Canada. This re-presented version is expanded including new and never before exhibited works.

Organized in close collaboration with Indigenous artists, scholars, and knowledge keepers, Early Days presents more than 100 works from the McMichael’s permanent collection. Works on view span over two centuries- from 18th-century ceremonial regalia and trade items to the groundbreaking work of artists from the 1960s through the 1980s, and powerful contemporary pieces by leading voices today. The exhibition showcases work by Norval Morrisseau, Robert Houle, Carl Beam, Alex Janvier, Shelly Niro, Faye HeavyShield, Rebecca Belmore, Kent Monkman, Meryl McMaster, and many others. Their works—including painting, sculpture, printmaking, textile, and video— reveal the cultural continuity, resilience, and innovation of Indigenous artistic practices across generations.

As the only museum in Canada devoted exclusively to Canadian art, the McMichael collection offers a unique platform to explore the evolving story of Indigenous art in Canada today. Early Days invites reflection on our relationships to land, to ancestors, and to one another, while confronting the complex tensions between past and present.

The exhibition is accompanied by an award-winning catalogue edited by Anishinaabe artist and scholar Bonnie Devine. Gathering insights from myriad Indigenous cultural stakeholders, informing us on everything from goose hunting techniques to the history of Northwest Coast mask making to the emergence of the Woodland style of painting and printmaking to the challenges of art making in the Arctic, the publication offers a wide-ranging lens into Indigenous artistic practices. Collectively, these voices illuminate the enduring vibrancy of Indigenous art across Turtle Island, past and present.