Internationally recognized Indigenous artists showcased at Georgian College gallery

The late Ojibwe artist Carl Beam and his daughter Anong Migwans Beam's work will be shown at the gallery at Georgian College Feb. 15 to March 24. Feb. 8, 2024 (Source Georgian College)

Exploring the world and issues affecting contemporary Indigenous cultures is at the heart of the newest exhibition at Georgian College's campus gallery.

Running February 15 to March 24, the exhibition, Over & Over & Over Again, will feature the art of the late Carl Beam, celebrated Ojibwe artist and recipient of the Governor General's Award for Visual Arts.

He was the first Indigenous artist to have a contemporary artwork purchased by the National Gallery of Canada.

Beam's work will shown alongside his daughter, Anong Migwans Beam's work, who lives and works on M'chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island.

"This exhibition gives visitors an excellent opportunity to delve deeply into the creative process of both artists, as well as understanding how their art-making is integral to how they live their lives," said Georgian professor Virginia Eichhorn.

Beam will bring her pieces to the gallery for the first time. In contrast, current museum and gallery studies students will select complimentary pieces of her father's work from Georgian's art collection.

The exhibition includes a partnership with Georgian's Wiidookdaading Indigenous Resource Centre at the Barrie Campus and the Anishnaabemowin and program development program.

It is also co-curated by Anong and Eichhorn, who has developed exhibitions for high-profile Canadian galleries and museums, such as the Royal Ontario Museum.

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The artists' pieces are meant to create a dialogue about the environment, politics, history and culture while also working through ideas over and over.

"Creative families are captivating – how the arts inform and echo in daily life, legacy and practice. This exhibition honours the sacred relationship between parent and child and the meaningful conversations that continue between artworks," said Amy Bagshaw, director of the campus gallery.

The exhibition, Over & Over & Over Again, is open to the public and is part of the MacLaren Art Centre's Art Crawl on March 21 starting at 11 a.m.

The opening reception is February 15 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and the artist will speak March 14 at 11 a.m.

The campus gallery is located at Georgian's Barrie Campus D building, room 140 at One Georgian Drive. The gallery is open Monday to Friday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and on the weekend from noon to 4 p.m.