My name is Jalene E. Murphy; I am a Canadian art lover concerned about the picture the Art Gallery of Ontario is painting.
Your website trumpets the AGO’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility. It declares your commitment to reconciliation and dismantling institutional discrimination, racism, and oppression in all areas of your organization. But do your actions mirror your words?
Eight months before September 30, 2022, Canada’s 2nd National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a group of Indigenous artists contacted the AGO to rent space. The group wanted to exhibit their Tisiget show to align with Canada’s national day recognizing the children who never came home and the survivors of the residential schools.
Thomas Sinclair, an acclaimed Ojibway artist, leads a group of four talented artists. He made numerous phone calls, sent emails, and traveled to the AGO over the course of eight months—all to no avail. Despite his efforts, your staff failed to respond.
The show Tisiget ~a person who changes the color of things~
Features art by:
- Thomas Sinclair [@tsinclair76]
- Mishiikenh Kwe [@mishiikenhkwe]
- Brianne Island [@bree.island]
- Patrick Paul [@absoluteoriginalart]
- @tisigetindigenousartproject
Ironically, from June 11 – October 10, 2022, the AGO ran “Faith and Fortune: Art Across the Global Spanish Empire.” These four centuries of art provide a unique perspective on the lasting legacies of colonization. Beginning with the earliest episode of colonization – Columbus’s arrival in the Americas- the exhibition offers insights into the history of resource extraction, the spread of Christianity, the development of racial categories and Indigenous resistance to conquest.
I bring this exhibit and the missed opportunity of the Tisiget exhibition to your attention. If the AGO values reconciliation, why fail to balance “Faith and Fortune” with an exhibit featuring indigenous artists who have risen under Canada’s colonization legacy? If the AGO values inclusivity, why fail to include Indigenous artists who portray contemporary relevance?
Had you given Tisiget a chance to exhibit, you would have fulfilled the pillars of your mission statement. Visitors would see great art and experience and engage in a two-fold lesson – an education about Canada’s colonial past and participation in an unfolding history; one of true partnership and reconciliation with our Indigenous brothers and sisters. Instead, eight months of silence.
Canada’s 3rd National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is 11 months away. Art is a natural bridge to link communities. Art weaves through differences, allows us to view life through the contemporary lens of others, and brings us closer to understanding one another. I hope that you respond to these four talented artists.
I want to live in Canada where public institutions paint accurate pictures in alignment with their words, values, and mission statements. I do wholeheartedly thank you for reading this letter – I know your time is valuable.
Kindly,
Jalene E. Murphy
jalene@jalenemurphy.com