Planet IndigenUS at MIA

After a blur of summer events at the museum, and the extravaganza that was the Pan Am games, it’s hard to believe that August is already on its way.

Over the last two months I’ve been lucky enough to participate in outreach events at the Toronto Public Library, Party on the Promenade and most recently, the Aboriginal Pavilion at Fort York; and yet, we still have more events planned for the rest of the summer at MIA!

Planet IndigenUS is a 10-day festival promoting aboriginal arts and culture, and MIA will be celebrating alongside (literally – their building is next door) the Harbourfront Centre! From July 31 to August 9, events will take place at locations such as museums, libraries and art centres both in and around the GTA. As part of Planet IndigenUS the museum will be offering three types of programming focusing on the theme of “Seven Generations” – how the actions we make in the present affect future generations.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better: both tour options are free with admission!

Guided Tours
Join me and other docents from the MIA Volunteer Team  for a guided tour of the museum’s permanent collection. Between August 4th and 9th we arehosting two tours a day, one beginning at at 11 AM and the second starting at 1PM. We love showing visitors around and sharing the stories behind some of our most popular pieces.

Self Guided Tours
Alternatively, if you prefer wandering at your own pace, we’ll also be offering a special self-guided tour for the duration of Planet IndigenUS. Simply follow the Planet IndigenUS feather icon found in our display cases to learn more about the pieces we have on view.

Throat Singing with Sylvia Cloutier
But that’s not all we’re doing for Planet IndigenUS this summer. If you’ve never had the chance to check out Inuit throat singing before, now’s your chance! MIA is thrilled to be hosting Sylvia Cloutier, a well-known Inuk throat singer from the Nunavik region, on August 8th at 6PM. Sylvia’s live performance will take place in the museum and will be followed by a Q&A session where guests can find out more about Sylvia and her work. Tickets can be purchased online, in person at the museum, or by calling (416) 640-1571.

I feel so fortunate to be involved in so many different events promoting aboriginal art and culture, and I’m excited for these upcoming activities. Planet IndigenUS is another great opportunity to celebrate the diversity and unique talent of aboriginal artists.

Planet IndigenUS is sure to be an amazing 10 days – come celebrate with us!

 

– Posted by Serena Y., MIA’s Community Engagement Officer

Planet IndigenUS: Celebration of Nations . . . We Are All From Somewhere

The Harbourfront is a pretty busy place during the summer, and this August another major event will be taking place: Planet IndigenUS!

For the past month, visitors to the Harbourfront will have seen a lot of these posters advertising for the third installment of Planet IndigenUS – the largest multidisciplinary, contemporary, international Indigenous arts festival in the world. The title of this years festival, “Celebration of Nations . . . we are all from somewhere . . .” was chosen in the hopes that everyone who attends the events would find their “Indigenous” place within themselves and relate to the idea that we are all “from somewhere”.

Taking place between August 11-19th, this festival is a 10-day celebration featuring countless contemporary cultural leaders in visual arts, crafts, film, dance, theatre, music, storytelling, and much more in order to share a vision for a future filled with power and renewal. The idea is to challenge perceptions about what it means to be Indigenous in the modern world, show the important roles contemporary Indigenous artists play in our society, and create a dialogue via the sights and sounds of the featured artists and performers.

To get things started, the opening evening will be hosted by hip hop artist and CBC radio producer/host Wab Kinew and actress Sarah Podemski with featured performances by Plex, Pacific Curls, George Leach and Hanggai.

And there is plenty more where that came from!
The MIA has partnered up with the festival and is offering complimentary guided tours throughout the 10-day celebration.
You can also view the full festival schedule by clicking here where all the free events are listed. And don’t forget that you can follow Planet IndigenUS on their Twitter, Facebook Page, or blog.

Should be some great times! Everyone where is certainly looking forward to checking it out – after work of course 😉

– posted by Brittany Holliss, MIA Visitor Services Officer