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Presentation: Firewater Thunderbird Rising
Photo by: Kaytee Dalton
Words by: Izabela Shubair
Did you know that Toronto is home to upwards of 70,000 Indigenous people from across Turtle Island? It’s no surprise that the city includes many arts and culture organizations that are continuing time-honoured traditions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis forms of self-expression as well as propelling forward contemporary works. Here are five organizations amplifying Indigenous voices in the Toronto arts and culture space — and how you can appreciate their work.
Storytelling plays a major role in the work of Red Sky Performance — a leader of contemporary Indigenous performance in Canada and worldwide. That’s because creator Sandra Laronde sees stories as the embodiment of First Nations voice and ethos and as a key to empowerment. Since 2000, Red Sky has told tales through 3,000 performances across Canada and the world. Locally, Red Sky performances take place in venues such as Berkeley Street Theatre in Toronto.
To empower youth through the art of dance, Outside Looking In is an organization that not only engages participants in self-expression but also focuses on their education and mental and physical health. Its annual showcase is the country’s largest Indigenous youth performance.
Witness compelling Indigenous screen content, and be empowered by storytelling, at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. This Toronto festival typically takes place in the fall, and it features a new visual aesthetic and curatorial direction each year. Going well beyond movies, imagineNATIVE includes music videos, video games, virtual reality, audio works, exhibitions, animated films, and more. The organization also hosts year-round screenings and events, and it facilitates professional development opportunities.
When it comes to developing, producing, and presenting artistic expressions of Indigenous experience in Canada, Native Earth Performing Arts has been setting the standard for 40 years. The country’s oldest professional Indigenous performing arts company is housed at the Aki Studio in Regent Park’s art-based community hub Daniels Spectrum. In addition to stage productions, Native Earth offers opportunities for new script development, and learning opportunities for those interested in the industry.
Located in Vaughn, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection’s main building is as stunning as the art it contains. Made of log and barn-board walls, it features field-stone fireplaces as well as floor-to-ceiling glass windows that provide a view of the Humber River Valley. Inside the gallery, you’ll find a focus on Canadian art and both historical and contemporary art. The McMichael is also the gallery of record for works on paper from the Inuit community of Cape Dorset — making it the custodian for the Cape Dorset archive, totalling more than 100,000 artworks.