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Oki, Tansai, and Hello:
This is something I’ve been meaning to share for awhile as it’s been a pretty bumpy year or so which everyone has felt in some capacity lately. I don’t expect everyone I know or follow to read this or respond, this is more for me to know it’s out in a social space and not just sitting on my computer staring back at me. I’ve finally found some grounding words to a lot of my feelings since my interactions with contemporary Calgary and leaving the board of the bows.
Thank you for taking some time to either open this page or read through these words. I’m so beyond grateful to have the support and community I have.
Warm wishes for everyone,
B.
Joint Statement Regarding Contemporary Calgary
We are a group of Indigenous and racialized artists calling on Contemporary Calgary to acknowledge, examine and address their complicity with systemic racism and enlarge their capacity to offer meaningful support to the artists they work with.
Artists:
Alia Shahab, Brittney Bear Hat, Dan Cardinal McCartney, Richelle Bear Hat, Rocio Graham, Teresa Tam.
Interview with Laura O’Grady
Growing up off-reserve in Calgary, Brittney Bear Hat didn't feel she had very many traditional Indigenous experiences — so when she first started trying to make work that spoke to her identity, she says it was largely based on assumptions about what Indigenous art was. But when she let go of the stereotypes she felt confined by, she was able to find a deeper connection to her culture and create more naturally.
In this video made by Laura O'Grady, Braden Dereniwski and Chris Krieger, Bear Hat explains why it's meant so much for her to make work about stories from her family and her community, and she shows you the new work she's created for the New Central Library.