Face the Nation

Face the Nation: A Round Table on Contemporary Aboriginal Aesthetics
Saturday, June 21, 1–4 pm

Is there a contemporary Aboriginal aesthetic? Should there be? Can we define it? Who does it belong to?

This panel will address the obstacles raised by the canon of Western art history and its ethnographic understanding of aboriginal cultural production. By asking questions about the existence and specificity of a contemporary Aboriginal aesthetic, the speakers will address how Aboriginal artists today can create works that contribute to a discourse that is both inclusive and relevant to their cultures, identities and traditions but also addresses their desire to embrace (and be embraced by) the mainstream art world.

Gerald McMaster (Chair) (artist and Curator of Canadian Art, Art Gallery of Ontario)
Joe Baker (artist and Director of Community Engagement, Herberger College of the Arts, Phoenix)
Candice Hopkins (artist and Director / Curator Exhibitions Programme, Western Front Society, Vancouver)
Kent Monkman (artist, Toronto)

For speaker bios and more information on the exhibition, please see the FACE THE NATION exhibition page

PERFORMANCE
Terrance Houle with Lucid44 (Leslie Mark Overland)
I will see you...
A love story, a powwow story, told through video, live music and dancers

Saturday, June 21, 9:45 pm
at The Works Art & Design Festival Opening Party
(Opening Party starts at 8 pm)
Freemason's Hall, 10318-100 Avenue, Edmonton

Also on Saturday, June 21 & Sunday, June  22, 1-4 pm

Hands-On Art Workshops
Edmonton artist Aaron Paquette leads a special drop-in workshop, on both Saturday and Sunday focused on thinking personal identity and how you represent who you are.