{"id":37223581580,"date":"2025-09-25T10:43:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T14:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mcmichael.com\/?p=37223581580"},"modified":"2025-11-17T11:54:53","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T16:54:53","slug":"early-days-indigenous-art-at-the-mcmichael","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/mcmichael.com\/fr\/communique-de-presse\/early-days-indigenous-art-at-the-mcmichael\/","title":{"rendered":"Early Days: Indigenous Art at the McMichael"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Immediate Release<\/h5><\/div>

Early Days: Indigenous Art at the McMichael<\/h1><\/div>

Major exhibition showcasing two centuries of Indigenous art opens September 20<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Abstract<\/span>
<\/div>

Norval Morrisseau (1932\u20132007), Artist's Wife and Daughter<\/em>, 1975, acrylic on hardboard, 101.6 x 81.3 cm, Purchase 1975, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1981.87.1. Photo: Craig Boyko \u00a9 Estate of Norval Morrisseau<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"peinture<\/span>
<\/div>

Native Art Department International \/ D\u00e9partement D\u2019Art Autochtone International (fond\u00e9 en 2016), Aanzinaago (Pris dans une Transformation) 01<\/em>, 2024, acrylique sur toile, 121,9 x 152,4 cm, acquis gr\u00e2ce au g\u00e9n\u00e9reux soutien de Hatch, La Collection d\u2019Art Canadien McMichael, 2024.37, cr\u00e9dit photo : Toni Hafkenscheid, 2025.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Kleinburg, ON – The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is proud to announce the presentation of Early Days: Indigenous Art at the McMichael<\/em> opening on September 20, 2025, following a landmark international tour with stops in Phoenix, AZ, Albuquerque, NM, Norfolk, VA, and Qu\u00e9bec, QC.<\/p>\n

This critically acclaimed exhibition of more than 100 works is a resounding affirmation of the depth, diversity, and vitality of Indigenous art in Canada, and includes many acquisitions new to the McMichael\u2019s permanent collection. The presentation spans more than two centuries — from 18th-century ceremonial regalia and trade items to the groundbreaking work of artists from the 1960s through the 1980s, to powerful contemporary pieces by the leading artists of today. The exhibition showcases work by Norval Morrisseau, Tim Pitsiulak, Robert Houle, Carl Beam, Shelly Niro, Faye HeavyShield, Rebecca Belmore, Duane Linklater, Jeneen Frei Njootli, Kent Monkman, Meryl McMaster, and many others. Including painting, sculpture, printmaking, textile, and video\u2014 the exhibition reveals the cultural continuity, resilience, and innovation of Indigenous artistic practice across the generations. This is a repeat presentation of Early Days, which initially opened during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, the exhibition was unable to be experienced by many visitors due to prolonged gallery closures during its original run.<\/p>\n

As the only museum in Canada devoted exclusively to Canadian and Indigenous art, the McMichael collection offers a unique lens on Indigenous art in Canada, past and present. Early Days<\/em> invites visitors to explore relationships to land, ancestry, and community, while also engaging with the challenges, tensions and transformations that have shaped\u2014and continue to shape\u2014Indigenous experience today.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Masque<\/span>
<\/div>

Bob Harris, chef Xi\u2019xa\u2019niyus, \u00ab Gives All His Blankets Away \u00bb (1870\u20131930) et Johnny Davis, chef Lalakinx\u2019idi, \u00ab The One Who Always Went Too Far \u00bb (1867\u20131870\u2013v. 1921), Kumugwe\u2019, \u201cWealthy One,\u201d Chief of the Undersea Kingdom Mask (Masque de Kumugwe)<\/em>, \u00ab le Riche \u00bb, chef du royaume sous-marin), v. 1890, thuya g\u00e9ant, peinture, 66 x 35,5 x 62 cm, achat en 1977, La Collection d\u2019Art Canadien McMichael, 1977.2.1.A-.B. Photo : Craig Boyko<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Artwork<\/span>
<\/div>

Carl Beam (b. 1943\u20132005), Various Concerns of the Artist<\/em>, 1984, photo etching on paper, 121.7 \u00d7 80.5 cm, Purchase 1985, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1985.29.3. Photo: Craig Boyko \u00a9 Estate of Carl Beam (CARCC, Ottawa, 2023)<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Person<\/span>
<\/div>

Dana Claxton (b. 1959), Headdress\u2014Shadae<\/em>, 2019, LED firebox with transmounted lightjet chromogenic transparency, 152.4 \u00d7 101.6 cm, Purchase, BMO Financial Group, 2020, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 2020.5. Photo: Craig Boyko \u00a9 Dana Claxton<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

The exhibition is accompanied by an award-winning catalogue co-edited by Anishinaabe artist and scholar Bonnie Devine, McMichael Executive Director and Chief Curator Sarah Milroy, and McMichael Associate Curator, John Geoghegan. This landmark publication brings together the voices of more than 60 Indigenous artists and cultural stakeholders, offering insights into topics ranging from goose hunting techniques and Northwest Coast mask making, to the rise of the Woodland style and the challenges of artmaking in the Arctic. Collectively, these contributions illuminate the enduring richness and diversity of Indigenous art across Turtle Island.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Exhibition Details<\/h3><\/div>

Title:<\/strong> Early Days: Indigenous Art at the McMichael<\/em>
\nDates:<\/strong> September 20, 2025 \u2013 March 29, 2026
\nLocation:<\/strong> McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 10365 Islington Avenue, Kleinburg, Ontario
\nAdmission:<\/strong> Included with gallery admission. Tickets available at mcmichael.com<\/a>
\nCuratorial Credit:<\/strong> Organized by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. Catalogue edited by Bonnie Devine and Sarah Milroy.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i>Open PDF<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

Ces informations sont aussi disponibles en fran\u00e7ais.<\/em><\/p>\n

Media wishing to request interviews, media tours, obtain high-resolution images or review copies of publications are asked to contact Sadie Evans at\u202f<\/span><\/span>sevans@mcmichael.com<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u202for 905.893.1121 ext. 2290.\u202f<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

About the McMichael Canadian Art Collection<\/h2><\/div>

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an agency of the Government of Ontario and acknowledges the support of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming, and the McMichael Canadian Art Foundation. It is the only major museum in the country devoted exclusively to Canadian art. In addition to touring exhibitions, the McMichael houses a permanent collection of more than 7,000 works by historic and contemporary Canadian artists, including Tom Thomson, the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, Indigenous artists and artists from the many diasporic communities. The gallery is located on 100 acres of forested landscape and hiking trails at 10365 Islington Avenue, Kleinburg, north of Major Mackenzie Drive in the City of Vaughan. For more information, please visit mcmichael.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Media Contacts<\/h3><\/div>

Sadie Evans<\/h4>\n

Assistant Manag<\/span>e<\/span>r, <\/span>Social Media<\/span> & Digital Content<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>McMichael Canadian Art Collection<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>905.893.1121 x22<\/span>9<\/span>0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>sevans@mcmichael.com<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Grace Johnstone<\/h4>\n

Director, Marketing, Communications and Sales
\nMcMichael Canadian Art Collection
\n905.893.1121 x2265
\ngjohnstone@mcmichael.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":37223581179,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_ecp_custom_15":"","_ecp_custom_16":"","_ecp_custom_17":""},"class_list":["post-37223581580","press-release","type-press-release","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcmichael.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/37223581580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcmichael.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcmichael.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-release"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcmichael.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37223581179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcmichael.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37223581580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}