The Indigenous-focused gallery grows as an exhibition space and will become a hub for Indigenous students seeking community
Halifax’s artistic community can add a new address to its mailing list: 1887 Granville Street— the new home of the Treaty Space Gallery.
The relocation to Granville Street was months in the making, with Erinn Langille, Director of the Anna Leonowens Gallery System, spearheading the move.
“When I came in as director, it became very apparent that the Treaty Space Gallery needed a place they can call their own,” she says. “It was important for the Treaty Space Gallery and the Anna Leonowens Gallery to be united, particularly with NSCAD’s plan for a unified campus. I want the Treaty Space to become an integral component of The Anna and I didn’t want it to get lost in the shuffle to a new campus.”
It took six months for Langille to plan and find a new place big enough for students and artists to freely interact with the art and programs in the space.
“The new location allows us to really flex our muscles by offering an early to mid-career Indigenous-focused exhibition space. As far as we know, there aren’t any other spaces like this in Nova Scotia,” says Langille.
HOLDING SPACE FOR INDIGENOUS CREATIVITY
The new location allows the Treaty Space Gallery to fully realize its mission as a place for the NSCAD community—and communities in and around Kjipuktuk and Mi’kma’ki—to learn more about Indigenous histories and lived experiences through contemporary art, while advancing a more thorough understanding of treaties in the Nova Scotian and Canadian contexts.
“There’s now a lot more care and intention that we can put into facilitating exhibitions here,” says Natalie Laurin, Exhibitions Coordinator for the Treaty Space Gallery. “The work we exhibit deals with notions of treaty, our relationship to the land, and our role in decolonization, and we want the intention of the space to be carried forward through the art to visitors and students.”
The curatorial mission of the Treaty Space Gallery prioritizes the elevation of Indigenous voices in the contemporary artworld. Indigenous artists, along with allies interested in engaging in themes around treaty and decolonization, now have an improved space to truly express their artistic vision.
“We want to be proud of the work that we’re making, and we want to be proud of our culture as well,” says Buffy Googoo, Curator Assistant for the Treaty Space Gallery. “With this new location, it allows us to feel more than just a small space where people would walk by without noticing. There’s now a location where Indigenous people and Indigenous students can put up their art and feel proud of the work, because there’s a space to be proud of.”
The Treaty Space Gallery will be holding its first exhibition in the new Granville Street location on Monday, Sept. 16, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Titled, ‘Past, Present and Future,’ the event is an opportunity to celebrate the evolution of the gallery over the last six years.
“It’s a way for new students to see the work we have done over the years, and to get familiar with the space in case they ever want to display their art here,” says Laurin.
SECURING AND PRESERVING INDIGENOUS ART
The previous Treaty Space Gallery at NSCAD’s Port Campus, while a crucial step in NSCAD’s response to treaty, was ultimately provisional with a limited capacity and security issues.
The new location allows the Treaty Space Gallery to promote and exhibit diverse artworks easily, with room for more robust programming, exhibitions, and community collaboration. The flexible space has a storefront visible to the public, a gallery with proper lighting, an office, and a community gathering space to host workshops and other intimate dialogues.
“The Treaty Space Gallery will be more than just a gallery, it is a place for all members of the community to collaborate and celebrate one another,” says Laurin. “Over the years, we have cultivated relationships with places like the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre and the Mount Saint Vincent Indigenous Student Center, who were kind enough to let us use their spaces for previous workshops. We’re so happy that we can now invite them here and keep building on those relationships.”
SUPPORTING INDIGENOUS STUDENTS
The new Treaty Space Gallery will also function as an Indigenous Student Centre, where Indigenous students can relax, de-stress and feel at home at the university.
“We listened to our students and what they wanted was a place where they could feel comfortable,” says Googoo. “They may want support or want to talk about certain topics without feeling pressured. This is a space where they can be themselves and we’re happy to provide that support network for them.”
In addition to their usual programming, the Treaty Space Gallery will also have ‘Pitewey Fridays’ on the last Friday of every month for students to socialize, craft, and network. Both Laurin and Googoo want to see the gallery grow into a hub for the NSCAD community to participate in and learn about Indigenous culture and teachings.
“The Indigenous student population at NSCAD is really small and they might be looking for ways to participate in their culture while being in an urban setting,” says Laurin. “We want to grow into a space where they can look to us for that cultural connection and a place where they can relate to the art being displayed.”
There are ongoing calls for proposals for artists wanting to exhibit at the Treaty Space Gallery. Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists at all stages of their careers are welcome to apply; however, priority will be given to Indigenous students enrolled at NSCAD University.
