Indigenous scholars Richard William Hill, Tom Hill and Gerald McMaster are panelists for a discussion called “How Far We've Come: Reflections on the Resonance of Indigenous Art from the 1980s”.
Hosted by McMaster Museum of Art on Feb. 9 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Hamilton, Ont., the panelists will talk about what influence Indigenous art from the 1980s has had on today’s Indigenous artists, as well as curatorial practice.
The event is presented as a complement to the exhibit Unapologetic: Acts of Survivance, which presents significant works of art from the 1980s by 11 “foundational” Indigenous artists. The exhibition runs at the museum until March 25.
Cost is free, but an RSVP to museum@mcmaster.ca is required.
Richard William Hill is Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Studies at Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Hill taught full-time in the Art History program at York University, beginning in 2007 and leaving as Associate Professor in 2015.
As a curator at the Art Gallery of Ontario, he oversaw the museum’s first substantial effort to include Indigenous North American art and ideas in permanent collection galleries. Hill’s essays on art have appeared internationally in numerous books, exhibition catalogues and periodicals.
Tom Hill is a retired curator, writer, art historian, artist, actor, producer and traditional eskanye singer. He has played an influential role in the development of Aboriginal visual arts in Canada and internationally and was the First Aboriginal art curator in Canada. He has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Gallery of Canada, a member for the National First Nations Advisory Committee to the Canada Council, Board member for the Ontario Film Development Corporation, Co-chair for the National Task Force on Museums and First Peoples and Board member for the Ontario Museums Association and the Ontario Arts Council.
Gerald McMaster is a curator, artist, author, and the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Visual Culture and Curatorial Studies at OCAD University. McMaster has worked at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, and the Art Gallery of Ontario.