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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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 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.
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.
Masked Identity focuses on the life and art of Robert Burke, Denesuline (Chipewyan)/Black artist from Fort Smith, NWT. As a residential school survivor of 10 years, Robert knows the power of art. Robert’s art speaks to his life stories that emerge from the various social and political injustices he has experienced throughout his life on systematic, community, and individual levels that have informed Robert’s intricate symbolism. Creating his own elements and symbols, Robert steps out of a defined cultural iconography to construct his own unique style. This exhibition calls viewers in to witness Robert’s artistic and personal transformation as a Survivor who found healing and reconciliation through art.
Canadian artist collective Fire Season presents an exhibition of works from their biennial publication, an edited journal of written and visual sense-making on the topic of wildfires. The exhibition features poetry, visual art, photography, and video installation from contributors to the Fire Season book and archival wildfire materials from the BC Forest Discovery Centre to take a comprehensive and inclusive look at how wildfire continues to impact British Columbia in a kaleidoscope of cultural, political, industrial, and ecological ways.
Curated by Amory Abbott and Liz Toohey-Wiese.
Participating artists:
Amory Abbott Sara-Jeanne Bourget Ana Diab Kerri Flannigan Jonathan S. Green Jude Griebel Colton Hash Eli Hirtle Sylvia McKelvie Andreas Rutkauskas Kyle Scheurmann Liz Toohey-Wiese
Image: Sara-Jeanne Bourget, Charcoal Studies II, 2021.
The exhibition Latent emerges from conversations between artist Lynda Gammon and curator Carolyn Butler Palmer over the past several years about how artists who identify as women are often overlooked, ignored and sidestepped. At the Legacy Art Galleries, over the past decade the majority of solo exhibitions have featured the work of women artists and this exhibition furthers a desire to bring forward their work by honouring the many women who remain hidden in the University of Victoria’s Art Collection and the mechanisms that conceal them from view: the vault, accessioning, and the catalogue.
Shaping Relations, Tethered Together dives into Legacy’s permanent collection to explore ideas of togetherness and that which cultivates relationships. Each work examines a different facet of the relationships people form with one another, the world around us, and our relationships with ourselves. Tenderness and the importance of connection are meditated on throughout the exhibition, through a diverse selection of media and artists.
Showing at the Legacy Maltwood Gallery on campus, please come visit this eclectic show and spend some time with us.
Image: Rain Cabana-Boucher, French exit (detail), 2021.
Curated by Andrea Walsh, Smyth Chair in Arts and Engagement
Amanda LaLiberte’s photo portraits showcase 12 Coast Salish artists who participated in the Visiting Artist Program hosted by the UVic Department of Anthropology.
