CMA Outstanding Achievement
Research
For research activities carried out in museums or applied to museum practice that contributes to the development of new knowledge and understanding.
Winner
Honourable mentions
- Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Archaeology and History Complex
- Goose Lane Editions & York University
- McMichael Canadian Art Collection
Beaverbrook Art Gallery
Wabanaki Modern: The Artistic Legacy of the 1960s “Micmac Indian Craftsmen”
“Looking into our past, here in this territory, is essential to work in rebuilding our identities because as first-contact peoples, so much of our cultural identity has been lost,” Curator of Indigenous Art Emma Hassencahl-Perley says. “However, it will come back to us, as it was always meant to.”
Rebuilding this cultural identity is why both this project and the program it celebrates were groundbreaking and unique. Led by the Beaverbrook’s Manager of Collections and Exhibitions, John Leroux, and Wabanaki artist and curator Emma Hassencahl-Perley from the Tobique First Nation. Wabanaki Modern: The Artistic Legacy of the 1960s “Micmac Indian Craftsmen,” includes a book, a 22-minute documentary film, and a major exhibition at the Beaverbrook that will travel to the Abbe Museum in Maine in 2023.
The Micmac Craftsmen are the foundation of modern Indigenous visual art in Eastern Canada, and the project is “a game-changer” in understanding that art and modern fine craft & design in New Brunswick.
“Emma and I are thrilled and humbled to receive this award. The exhibition, book, and film was a deeply collaborative project involving so many individuals and artists who cared about bringing well-deserved attention to this nearly forgotten story of vision and beauty. Working closely with Elsipogtog elders was a cherished gift.”
– John Leroux Manager of Collections and Exhibitions
Individuals affiliated to the project
Project coordinators, authors and curators:
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- Dr. John Leroux, Manager of Collections and Exhibitions, Beaverbrook Art Gallery
- Emma Hassencahl-Perley, Curator of Indigenous Art, Beaverbrook Art Gallery
Book Publisher and Designer:
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- Goose Lane Editions
- Susanne Alexander, Publisher
- Julie Scriver, Creative Director (and book designer of “Wabanaki Modern”)
Film:
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- Hemmings Films
- Sandy Hunter, Producer
- Clem McIntosh, Director
Honourable mentions
Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Archaeology and History Complex
Montréal Capital City, The Remarkable History of the Archaeological Site of St Anne’s Market and the Parliament of the Province of Canada
The rediscovery of more than 350,000 artifacts and ecofacts on this site challenges the knowledge gained about Montréal’s history, as reflected in the book Montréal Capital City. The book covers the history of both the site itself and that of the city of Montréal, which transformed over two decades.
“The archaeological and historical research conducted by Pointe-à-Callière and its partners on the archaeological site of the Sainte-Anne market and the parliament of the Province of Canada generated more than 350,000 artifacts. It also revealed the foundations of this important place of remembrance, where recognition of responsible government, a symbol of a modern state, was first expressed in the country.
The Pointe-à-Callière team is proud to receive this award from the CMA, a recognition we share among some 20 researchers and institutional partners. We would also like to thank Éditions de l’Homme for the quality of Montréal Capital City, a digest of a decade of multidisciplinary research.”– Louise Pothier
Individuals affiliated to the project
Goose Lane Editions & York University
Qummut Qukiria!: Art, Culture, and Sovereignty Across Inuit Nunaat and Sapmi: Mobilizing the Circumpolar North
In this book, Sámi, Inuit and non-Indigenous artists, curators and others consider the resurgence of contemporary circumpolar Indigenous cultural expressions, and Inuit art’s role in language preservation, social well-being and cultural identity. This will be the go-to volume on Inuit art for decades.
“An honorary mention in the CMA Award of Outstanding Achievement for Research is a testament to the many Inuit and Sámi artists, performers, filmmakers, writers and curators featured in Qummut Qukiria! As the book’s editors, we — Anna Hudson, Heather Igloliorte and Jan-Erik Lundström — thank you for this profoundly reconciliatory recognition.”
Individuals affiliated to the project
- Anna Hudson is a professor of Canadian art history and curatorial studies at York University.
- Heather Igloliorte is an Inuk scholar from Nunatsiavut and is the Concordia University research chair in circumpolar Indigenous arts.
- Jan-Erik Lundström, a curator, critic, and art historian, is the former director of the Sámi Center for Contemporary Art.
McMichael Canadian Art Collection
From Water to Water: A Way Through the Trees
This site-specific mural installation by Anishinaabe/ Ojibwe artist Bonnie Devine considers how the gallery sits upon an ancient trade route that connected Niigani-gichigami (Lake Ontario) to Mnjikaning Fish Weirs on Lake Simcoe. This remapping of traditional knowledge and Indigenous place names gives voice to the surrounding land and waterways, and their histories.
“From Water to Water, a Way Through The Trees was a labour of love that involved the collaboration and generosity of many helpers, elders, and knowledge keepers, including Sarah Milroy, Chief Curator at the McMichael. Thank you to all who assisted and to the Canadian Museum Association for this recognition and honour.”– Bonnie Devine
Individuals affiliated to the project
- Artist: Bonnie Devine
- Assistant: Mariah Meawasige
- Advisors: Dominic Ste. Marie of the Wendat Nation in Wendake, Quebec; Catherine Tàmmaro, People of the Little (Spotted) Turtle, Wyandot of Anderdon Nation, Wendat Confederacy; Shelley Charles, member of the Anishinaabe of Georgina Island First Nation
- Curator: Sarah Milroy, Chief Curator, McMichael Canadian Art Collection
Publicity
