Category Archives: Legacy Downtown

Exhibitions displayed at 630 Yates Street under the names Legacy Art Gallery Downtown, Legacy Art Gallery, and Legacy Art Gallery and Cafe.

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

Image: Opening reception, آبِ رواں Aab-e-Ravaan, Language Like Water exhibition on May 2, 2026. Photograph by Karissa Chandrakate.

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

EXHIBITIONTOUR_FINAL_digital Download

Photos: Anahita Ranjbar

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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WeatherConditions_SelfGuidedTour Download

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.

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: O n 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.

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:

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.

Read the curatorial essay.

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.

Read the curatorial essay.

Image: Karin Jones, The Bond, 2024. Image courtesy of Art Mûr.

Masked Identity: Artworks by Robert Burke

April 20 – September 7, 2024

Legacy Downtown | 630 Yates St.
Lekwungen territory

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.

Explore the Masked Identity 3D virtual exhibition.

Image: Robert Burke, Spirit Mask (detail), 2003.

Fire Season

April 20, 2024 – September 7, 2024

Legacy Downtown | 630 Yates St.
Lekwungen territory

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.

Latent

January 6 – April 6, 2024

Legacy Downtown | 630 Yates St.
Lekwungen territory

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.

Artist bio: Lynda Gammon
See all events: Latent events & programs

Image: 12-minute meditation on untitled (serigraph), Elza Mayhew, n.d., Lynda Gammon, 2023.

Under the Shade of the Lotus Tree: Pari Azarm Motamedi and Rozita Moini Shirazi

September 23 – December 9, 2023

Legacy Downtown | 630 Yates St.
Lekwungen territory

Under the Shade of the Lotus Tree: Pari Azarm Motamedi and Rozita Moini Shirazi is an exhibition that delves into the deep impact of leaving one’s homeland and the need for a connection to one’s roots. This show explores the power of Persian poetry as a foundation of cultural preservation and self-expression via the works of Persian-Canadian artists Pari Azarm Motamedi and Rozita Moini Shirazi. Motamedi and Moini Shirazi expertly translate and modernize classic Persian symbols, and stories, uncovering hidden messages in poems and tackling socio-political challenges in their nation. These artists inspire us to consider the complications of displacement and the everlasting value of art in bridging cultural barriers with powerful vision and elegant brushwork.

Explore the Under the Shade of the Lotus Tree 3D virtual exhibition.

Organized by the West Vancouver Art Museum.
Curated by Hilary Letwin and Anahita Ranjbar.

Image: Rozita Moini Shirazi, The Valley of Unity (detail), 2022.