Category Archives: Past Exhibition
آبِ رواں Aab-e-Ravaan: Language Like Water
May 2 to August 1, 2026
Legacy Downtown | 630 Yates St.
Lekwungen Territory
آبِ رواں Aab-e-Ravaan: Language Like Water explores the artistic practice of Farheen Haq, an interdisciplinary artist born into an immigrant family with roots in Bihar, India, and Karachi, Pakistan, she now lives and works on lək̓ʷəŋən territory (Victoria, BC). Through her work, Haq returns to her parents’ experience and ancestral lands, drawing on the Urdu poetry of Mirza Ghalib (1797–1869) as a source of connection, memory, and reflection.
In this exhibition, Haq looks to water as a guide in relationship building and to understand the flows of migration; as well as tracing the fluidity of language through poetry. Her work moves like a ghazal, where every droplet carries the meaning of reconnection. In آبِ رواں Aab-e-Ravaan, Urdu becomes a living current, flowing and shaping relationships. Like water, it holds memory and connects seemingly distant lands and waters to the Salish Sea, offering a space where identity remains in motion, always shifting and creating new meanings.
Curated by Anahita Ranjbar.
Image: Farheen Haq, Aankh Band ke Dekho (Close Your Eyes and See), 2022. Video still, courtesy of the artist.
This exhibition is made possible through funding from:
Artist & Curator Conversation: آبِ رواں Aab-e-Ravaan: Language Like Water
Currents of Return: A conversation with artist Farheen Haq and curator Anahita Ranjbar
Date: Sat., June 27, 2026
Time: 2:00 – 4:00 pm
Location: Legacy Art Gallery Downtown
Free & open to the public
Join artist Farheen Haq and curator Anahita Ranjbar for a conversation exploring the themes of آبِ رواں Aab-e-Ravaan, Language Like Water. Together, they will discuss migration, memory, Urdu poetry, water as a site of belonging, and the role of artmaking as a form of reconnection and care. Moving through textiles, community-based practices, and the poetry of Mirza Ghalib, the conversation will reflect on how language, land, and ancestral histories continue to shape identity across generations. Rooted in themes of flow, longing, and confluence, this program invites audiences into the currents of Farheen Haq’s artistic practice.
Image: Opening reception, آبِ رواں Aab-e-Ravaan, Language Like Water exhibition on May 2, 2026. Photograph by Karissa Chandrakate.
Selft Guided Tour – آبِ رواں Aab-e-Ravaan: Language Like Water
Photos: Anahita Ranjbar
Everything is Special
A Celebration of Queer and Trans+ materials from the University of Victoria Libraries Special Collections & University Archives and University Art Collections
June 2, 2025 – to May 10, 2026
Legacy Maltwood Gallery | Mearns Centre for Learning – McPherson Library
University of Victoria | lək̓ʷəŋən Territory
What’s special about Queer and Trans+ artists’ books, zines, and multiples? Everything. From one-of-a-kind limited editions to unique historical items, the University of Victoria Libraries Special Collections & University Archives and University Art Collections is not only home to the world’s largest collection of Trans+ archival materials, but also a range of printed matter, DIY creations, art, and ephemera representing Queer and Trans+ people and activism from a diversity of creators and communities.
As part of the inaugural Queer Island Festival of the Arts, it’s extra special for UVic Libraries and University Art Collections to be part of a larger conversation with other community partners and organizations, to show our colours and our Pride!
Curated by Michael Radmacher, Transgender Archives Metadata Librarian; Caroline Riedel, Interim Director, Legacy Art Galleries and University Art Collections; Lara Wilson Director, Special Collections & University Archivist and Christine Walde, Fine Arts Librarian, with Heather Dean, Associate Director of Special Collections.
Exhibition is open during regular library hours.
Image: Self Portrait, Joe Average, 1997.
We Are Still Here at Dusk
Fatima Tajah Olson
By Fatima Tajah Olson
Date: Fri. Feb. 13 after dusk – Sat. March 14, 2026
Location: Legacy Art Gallery Downtown – Building exterior
For Black History Month and in conjunction with Victoria at Dusk, photographer Fatima Tajah Olson presents a series of portraits that place Black presence within familiar public space. Installed at dusk, the work invites viewers to slow down and consider how visibility, care, and self-representation shape the way we see one another.
Workshop
Becoming Art in a Black Woman’s Body
Dates: Sat. Feb. 21, 5-9 pm & Sun. Feb. 22 2026, 9-3 pm
Location: Legacy Art Gallery Downtown
Facilitator: Fatima Tajah Olson
Becoming Art in a Black Woman’s Body is a two-day healing and creative workshop held during Black History Month at Legacy Art Gallery. Facilitated by artist Fatima Tajah Olson, the workshop invites Black women to reconnect with their bodies through movement, body painting, reflection, and portrait photography. Rooted in care, creativity, and empowerment, the gathering offers a rare space for rest, self-expression, and collective healing.
This workshop is designed exclusively for Black women, with the intention of creating a culturally specific space for rest, embodiment, and healing.
Paul Walde: Weather Conditions
Sat Jan 17 to April 11, 2026
Curated by Dr. Carolyn Butler Palmer, Associate Professor of Art History and Visual Studies and Williams Legacy Chair at the University of Victoria.
Legacy Downtown | 630 Yates St.
Lekwungen Territory
Paul Walde: Weather Conditions features two video installations: Of Weather (for Geoff Hendricks), 2018-2024, and Tom Thomson Centennial Swim, 2017, by interdisciplinary artist and University of Victoria Visual Arts Professor Paul Walde. Each artwork documents site-specific performances accompanied by original soundtracks also created by Walde. Prominent within the exhibition are large-scale photographic prints of cloudscapes from Of Weather (for Geoff Hendricks). Both installations transport weather conditions from their apparent distance in the natural world into the immediacy of the gallery space.
Walde’s artworks also pay homage to two art historical figures. Of Weather (for Geoff Hendricks) references the work of Geoffrey Hendricks (1931-2018), a member of Fluxus, who was nicknamed “Cloudsmith” for his long-term interest in depicting the sky and specifically clouds. Tom Thomson Centennial Swim of 2017 memorializes the life and death of Tom Thomson (1877-1917), a canonical figure in the history of Canadian landscape painting. In 1917, Thomson drowned while canoeing on Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park, Ontario.
Image: Paul Walde, Of Weather (for Geoff Hendricks), 2018, photo by Laura Gildner.
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Weather Conditions Programs & Events
Opening Reception – Paul Walde: Weather Conditions
Date: Date: Sat., January 17th, 2026 Time: 2:00 – 5:00pm
Location: Legacy Art Gallery Downtown
Join us at the Legacy Art Gallery Downtown for the opening event celebrating the exhibition Paul Walde: Weather Conditions curated by Williams Legacy Chair Dr. Carolyn Butler Palmer.
Performance
Date: Sat., February 28th, 2026
Times: Two timed-entry slots available – Registration is required:
- First Performance @ 1 pm (12:45 pm entry) – Register here
- Second Performance @ 2 pm (1:45 pm entry) – Register here
Location: Legacy Art Gallery Downtown
Free & open to the public
Of Weather Movements: the pictures in the exhibition are activated by a team of art handlers in a performance based on motion-picture camera movements and editing techniques.
Artist Talk with Paul Walde
Date: Sat., March 14th, 2026
Time: Times: 1:00 – 2:00pm – Registration is required – Register here
Location: Legacy Art Gallery Downtown
Free and open to the public
Join us for a talk by intermedia artist, composer, curator, and UVic Visual Arts Professor Paul Walde, whose exhibition Weather Conditions, is currently on view at Legacy.
Performance
Date: Sat., March 28th, 2026
Times: Two timed-entry slots available – Registration is required:
- First Performance @ 1 pm (12:45 pm entry) – Register here
- Second Performance @ 2 pm (1:45 pm entry) – Register here
Location: Legacy Art Gallery Downtown
Free & open to the public
Of Weather Movements: a second activation of the Cloudworks accompanied by a live performance of the Of Weather music score by a string quartet.
nunuukʷin (we sing): (re)connecting to the natural and spiritual worlds through song
September 18 – December 6, 2025
Legacy Downtown – Inner Gallery | 630 Yates St.
Lekwungen Territory
Curated by ḥapinyuuk, Dr. Tommy Happynook (huuʕiiʔatḥ /Huu-ay-aht First Nation), this exhibition is based on his personal connections to his homelands and ancestors. It explores nuučaan̓uł songs as methodology in the continued production of nuučaan̓uł knowledge and teachings that are integral in the continual transfer between humans (čaačaac̓iiʕasʔat, huuʕiiʔat, nuučaan̓ułat) and non-nuučaan̓uł peoples as well as between humans and the natural (ḥaḥuułi, čaačaac̓iiʕas) and the spiritual (yakʷiimit kʷiyiis nananiqsu) worlds.
Image: yaa yaa yaa waay yaa huu, 2023, ḥapinyuuk, Dr. Tommy Happynook (ḥuuʕiiʔatḥ, Canada). Yellow cedar rounds, elk hide, sinew, ink.
Credits: Vern Theroux at Pat Bay Leather supplied materials for the drums. Emily Thiessen at Wachaiy Studios did the screen printing. The drums were made by the artist.
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Salish Lines
September 18 – December 6, 2025
Legacy Downtown | 630 Yates St.
Lekwungen Territory
A selective retrospective of the art and life of SȾÁUTW̱ artist Doug LaFortune curated by Dr. Andrea N. Walsh. Since 1973, LaFortune has been working as an artist in several mediums, including carving, drawing, painting, and serigraphy. Several of his totem poles stand in Duncan, BC, and his welcome figures flank the entrance of First Peoples House at the University of Victoria. A carver for more than 40 years, Doug has been commissioned for various totem pole projects — large and small.
This exhibition will include an ‘archive’ of drawings dating back 40 years in which visitors to the gallery are invited to sit and meander through the decades of work.
Salish Lines Programming:
Doug LaFortune Limited Edition Print Signing and Sale
Dates: November 29, 2025, 1:00 – 4:00pm
Join us at the Legacy Art Gallery Downtown for a special opportunity to meet Doug LaFortune, who will be offering limited edition printer’s proof prints of his artwork—just in time for the holidays.
Enjoy light refreshments and take in the beautiful exhibition Salish Lines, before it closes on December 6th. Doug’s prints are stunning reflections of his artistry and Coast Salish heritage. Perfect for collectors and those who appreciate the beauty of Coast Salish art.
Family Curtain in Progress
Saturdays from 1:00 – 4:00pm
Dates: Oct 18th, 25th and Nov 1st, 8th and 15th 2025
Location: Legacy Art Gallery Downtown
Visit Legacy Downtown on upcoming Saturday afternoons to engage with Salish Lines artist Doug LaFortune as well as Sarah Jim, Sydney Griffith from the Quw’utsun Nation (Cowichan) and Carmin Bear-Blomberg as they work together to create a family curtain for Doug’s son, Bear.
This project invites visitors to engage with Indigenous artists, witness their creative process, and experience the beauty of their practices firsthand. By opening the making process, the artists share not only their skills, but also the values of collaboration, teaching, and cultural continuity.
We welcome you to connect, ask questions, and be part of this meaningful moment as the curtain comes to life.
Fall Exhibitions Opening Event
In celebration of two new exhibitions: Salish Lines and nunuukʷin (we sing): (re)connecting to the natural and spiritual worlds through song.
Dates: Saturday, September 20, 2025
Time: 1:00 – 4:00 pm (doors open at 12:30 pm)
Location: Legacy Art Gallery Downtown
The afternoon will open with a welcome and opening prayer by Elders Terri Barnhard and Kathy LaFortune, with remarks from Curator Dr. Andrea N. Walsh and guest speakers on behalf of artists Doug LaFortune and ḥapinyuuk, Dr. Tommy Happynook. A reception with light refreshments will follow.
We hope you will join us in celebrating these extraordinary artists with their families.
Exhibitions Panel Discussion
Dates: Monday, September 22, 2025
Time: 11:30 am – 12:50 pm
Location: On the UVic campus – In the Cornett Building, Room B235
Join UVic’s Anthropology Department for this panel discussion with Doug LaFortune and ḥapinyuuk, Dr. Tommy Happynook (huuʕiiʔatḥ /Huu-ay-aht First Nation).
A part of the Colloquium Series, this panel discussion is moderated by Dr. Andrea N. Walsh in connection with the two upcoming exhibitions: Salish Lines andnunuukʷin (we sing): (re)connecting to the natural and spiritual worlds through song. Both exhibitions will be on display at Legacy Art Gallery Downtown September 18th – December 6th.
Doug LaFortune: (W̱SÁNEĆ/Tsawout First Nation)
ḥapinyuuk, Dr. Tommy Happynook (huuʕiiʔatḥ /Huu-ay-aht First Nation): Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, UVic.
Dr. Andrea N. Walsh: Associate professor, Smyth chair in arts & engagement, Department of Anthropology, UVic.
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GEORGE CLUTESI: ḥašaḥʔap / ʔaapḥii / ʕac̓ik / ḥaaʔaksuqƛ / ʔiiḥmisʔap
April 16 – July 25, 2025
Legacy Downtown | 630 Yates St.
Lekwungen territory
GEORGE CLUTESI: ḥašaḥʔap / ʔaapḥii / ʕc̓ik / ḥaaʔaksuqƛ / ʔiiḥmisʔap is an exploration of the life and legacy of artist, activist, and scholar George Clutesi. His life’s work left an indelible mark on the preservation and celebration of the Nuu-chah-nulth community’s cultural traditions and customs. Featuring an extensive collection of Clutesi’s artworks, the exhibition further honours his legacy through striking displays of archival photographs and news accounts, a documentary film about his long-lasting impact for residential school Survivors, and artworks from contemporary Nuu-chah-nulth artists and scholars inspired by Clutesi’s activism and scholarship.
Participating artists include Hjalmer Wenstob (Tla-o-quiaht), Timmy Masso (Tla-o-quiaht), Marika Swan (Tla-o-quiaht), and Petrina Dezall (Mowachaht/Muchalaht). Participating University of Victoria scholars are Dr. Dawn Smith (Ehattesaht) and Dr. Tommy Happynook (Huu-ay-aht).
The name of the exhibition, written in the c̓išaaʔatḥ language, honours Clutesi’s many celebrated traits: ḥašaḥʔap (keep, protective) / ʔaapḥii (generous) / ʕac̓ik (talented) / ḥaaʔaksuqƛ (strong willed) / ʔiiḥmisʔap (treasure).
Listen to George Clutesi Interview “Person to Person” Show on CJAV Radio, March 3 1987. 93.3 The Peak, Formerly CJAV. Courtesy of Community Arts Council of the Alberni Valley.
Image: George Clutesi, The Storm, 1959, oil on canvas, private collection.
Exhibition Partners:
Visual Stories Lab Curatorial Collective: Andrea Naomi Walsh, Jennifer Claire Robinson, India Rael Young, and Raey Lee Costain (Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria).
Exhibition Supporters:
tr̓ar̓ iʔ sʕax̌ʷip – interwoven roots
April 2, 2024 – May 31, 2025
Legacy Maltwood Gallery, lower level of the Mearns Centre for Learning – McPherson Library
Inspired by childhood memories shared by Elder Jane Stelkia of the Osoyoos Indian Band, tr̓ar̓ iʔ sʔax̌ʷip explores the artistic and cultural legacy of a group of sukʷnaʔqinx (Okanagan) youth who attended the Inkameep Day School on the Osoyoos Indian Reserve in the Okanagan Valley during the World War II era.
Members of the Osoyoos Indian Band featuring Taylor Baptiste, Jenna Bower, Jordan Polychroniou, Sheri Stelkia, and Dora Stelkia, join Smyth Chair in Arts & Engagement, Andrea Walsh, in an exploration of contemporary photographic/ sculptural installation, Indigenous curatorial practice, language revitalization, and creative research methods that deepen our understanding of history, and provide vital points of departure for cultural revitalization and growth.
Image: Photo by Taylor Baptiste.
Victoria and Expressionism’s Second Wave: The Point Group
January 11 — April 5, 2025
Legacy Downtown | 630 Yates St.
Lekwungen territory
Victoria and Expressionism’s Second Wave: The Point Group exhibition features works of art owned by the University of Victoria. This group of modernist artists emerged in 1959 and cultivated a sense of cohesion through exhibitions of their work at the Point Gallery on Fort Street. They held open space for modern art in Victoria, first initiated by Emily Carr and then picked up by the Society Limners. Although many group members had long and illustrious careers, the artwork that appears in this exhibition is contemporary with The Point Group’s active period — the 1960s.
Featured artists:
Robert de Castro
Richard Ciccimarra
Nita Forrest
Flemming Jorgensen
Duncan de Kergommeaux
Virginia Lewis
Elza Mayhew
Michael Morris
Molly Privett
Herbert Siebner
Sylvia Sutton
William West
Curated by Carolyn Butler-Palmer, Williams Legacy Chair & Associate Professor, Art History & Visual Studies, UVic.
Image: Michael Morris, Untitled (Pat Bay Highway Renovation Series), 1962, U996.18.1, (detail).
Rooting for Reclamation
October 2 – December 7, 2024
Legacy Downtown | 630 Yates St.
Lekwungen territory
Rooting for Reclamation is a space of Black reclamation by guest curator Madison Bridal. Featuring local artists Aya Behr, Kemi Craig, Nathan Smith, and Tajah Olson, this exhibition showcases each artist’s personal interpretation of what Black reclamation means to them. Themes of identity, connection to ancestry, Black beauty, Black joy, strength, representation, community, and home are all explored through the meaningful pieces shared in this exhibition.
Image: Nathan Smith, Anansi (detail), 2019.
The Chorus is Speaking: Experiencing Identities of Blackness in Canada
September 18 – December 7, 2024
Legacy Downtown | 630 Yates St.
Lekwungen territory
Ojo Agi – Christina Battle – Charles Campbell – Chantal Gibson – Dana Inkster – Karin Jones – Jan Wade – Syrus Marcus Ware; 8 artists of incredible insight and inventiveness brought together in an exploration of facets of the Black experience on Turtle Island through sculpture, drawing and painting, installation, film, and poetry.
Curated by Michelle Jacques and Jenelle Pasiechnik.
Image: Karin Jones, The Bond, 2024. Image courtesy of Art Mûr.
