Qw’an Qw’anakwal: To Come Together

This exhibition is a celebration of people. It honours Salish artists, their families, and collaborators who participated in the Visiting Artist Program through the Department of Anthropology at the University of Victoria between 2011 and 2021. The Visiting Artist Program began with an intention to raise knowledge and appreciation for contemporary Salish art within the university’s community on campus. Over 10 years, the visiting Salish artists in this exhibition generously shared their art practice and knowledge with students through the course titled Anthropology of Art.

During a 4-6 week long residency each year, a new artist was invited to teach and  work with students on a theme of their choice, using media from their practice.  Through this engagement, students learned in a hands-on, experiential manner about the histories, methods, protocols, and production of contemporary Salish art. The engagement between artists and students positioned the classroom as a space of social transformation through the sharing of art. Each year of the program the visiting artist received a commission to create a work of art as a legacy of their residency. These art works are now on permanent public display in the Cornett Building on the university’s campus.

The title Qw’an Qw’anakwal was chosen by ləkwəŋən artist Yuxwelupton, Bradley Dick (Visiting Artist 2021). The title represents the underlying intention of the Visiting Artist Program: to bring people together through the creation and appreciation of Salish art.  In honour of the 10^th anniversary of the Visiting Artist Program, participating artists each created new works that reflects their ongoing practice. The portraits that accompany these new works were created for this exhibition by Metis photographer Amanda Laliberte in 2021.

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge the many hands, heads, and hearts that worked together over the 10 years represented by the people and art in this exhibition. I raise my hands in gratitude. First and foremost, to the artists, who have shared their knowledge through the Visiting Artist Program. I raise my hands to colleagues and students who each brought their skills, knowledge, and personal commitment to this exhibition: Jennifer Robinson, Assistant Curator on this exhibition and adjunct faculty member in the Department of Anthropology; Amanda Laliberte, exhibition portrait photographer; Raey Costain, Smyth Chair in Arts and Engagement Fellowship recipient and MA student in the Department of Anthropology; and to the staff at the Legacy Art Gallery who have worked diligently to overcome logistical challenges arising during the pandemic.

I wish to acknowledge with sincere gratitude George and Christiane Smyth for their unwavering financial and heartfelt support for the Visiting Artist Program over the
last decade through their Salish Weave Fund. Primary funding for this exhibition was made possible through the Smyth Chair in Arts and Engagement. The Smyth Chair was created through an endowment gift by the Smyths to the University of Victoria in 2020. A principle focus of this research funding is to create opportunities for community arts engagement in Salish territories and with Salish artists.

Andrea Naomi Walsh, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Anthropology and Smyth Chair in Arts and Engagement