Dr. Andrea N. Walsh

I have directed the Visiting Artist Program out of the Department of Anthropology since 2011. This program brings artists of Salish ancestry into the Anthropology of Art class (ANTH 305) to teach students about their practice. Over a series of weekly class and studio visits with the invited artist, students have worked with artists on ideas and concepts of culture, land, identity and residential schools, as part of a series of dialogues and roundtables, and they have learned hands on techniques through interactive sessions with various artists.

The Visiting Artist Program has hosted the following artists to date:

• Chris Paul, W̱JOȽEȽP (Tsartlip First Nation), 2011. Video of Chris Paul.
• Maynard Johnny, Jr. (Penelakut First Nation), 2012.  Video of Maynard Johnny, Jr.
• May Sam, Joni Olsen, Adam Olsen W̱JOȽEȽP (Tsartlip First Nation) (with Sylvia Olsen), 2013.
• Sheilia Austin, Tsartlip First Nation, 2014.
• Temoseng, Charles Elliott W̱JOȽEȽP (Tsartlip First Nation), 2015.
• Susa’meethl Deb George, Cowichan Tribes, 2016.
• Doug and Kathy LaFortune, Tsawout First Nation, 2017.

Over the term that ANTH 305 is offered, each Visiting Artist creates a piece of work in connection with the class or their teaching. This work is then installed as part of the growing public exhibition of Salish art in the Cornett Building. 

The exhibition of art in the Cornett building was initiated with the installation of window designs by the Salish artist lessLIE.

Indian Residential School and Day School art collections.

• At present I’m collaborating with two groups of residential school Survivors (from the Alberni IRS formerly of  Port Alberni, British Columbia and the MacKay IRS formerly of Dauphin, Manitoba) as part of a community based repatriation initiative of paintings created at these schools by children in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The work involving the Alberni paintings includes an ongoing partnership with the Alberni Valley Museum, and the work in northern Manitoba is being carried out in partnership with the University College of the North in Thompson, Manitoba. Through our curatorial and research collaboration Survivors and their families, community members, faculty, and students work together to mount public exhibitions of the children’s paintings. The initial work on these projects began with our participation in regional and national events associated with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Our work to reconnect and repatriate residential art works is recorded as part of the TRC’s final report and is described in the Executive Summary of the TRC’s final report. Our collaboration between the university faculty, staff, students, and Survivors also seeks to mobilize knowledge within Indigenous communities about the existence of collections of residential school art and archives within institutional and private collections. This work is conducted through the RIDSAR (Residential and Indian Day School Research) Collective run out of the Department of Anthropology’s Visual Research Lab. Please see the film about Healing through connection.

• In the summer of 2015 I began discussions with Survivors from the McKay IRS at Dauphin, Manitoba in dialogue with Dr. Jennie Wastesicoot at the University College of the North. In the spring of 2016 we formed a project to repatriate a collection of paintings created by children at the MacKay IRS in the 1960s. The transfer of the paintings to the University College of the North occurred in the spring of 2018 and Dr. Wastesicoot, Lorilee Wastasecoot (UVIC Social Sciences graduate) are working toward a collaborative research program with Survivors and families beginning the in spring of 2019.

Selected media links about the repatriation of the Alberni IRS artworks to Survivors and families.

• https://ring.uvic.ca/news/children’s-residential-school-art-portrays-truth
• http://www.hashilthsa.com/news/2012-04-15/marks-left-children-communicate-difficult-time-past
• http://www.avenue.zone/reunite-honour-witness-residential-school-art-update/
• http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/in-pictures-the-artwork-of-the-alberni-indian-residential-school/article10412600/
• http://en.kiosko.net/ca/2015-06-02/np/ca_globe_mail.html

• 2017 - I curated, There is Truth Here: Creativity and Resilience in Children’s Art from Indian Residential and Day Schools. http://uvac.uvic.ca/gallery/truth/

• 2016 - I curated the exhibition, Out of the Frame: Contemporary Salish Printmaking for the Legacy Art Gallery. http://uvac.uvic.ca/gallery/outoftheframe/

• 2015 - I authored the exhibition essay for Rande Cook’s (‘Namgis First Nation) solo exhibition, Behind the Gold Veil, at the Campbell River Art Gallery. Essay title “What The Veil May Reveal” (2015).

• 2014 - I curated along with Survivors from the Alberni IRS the exhibition We Are All One. This exhibition was the largest exhibition of repatriated paintings from the school to date, and it focused on the relationships between art teacher Robert Aller and his students and the content of the paintings they created under his tutelage.

• 2013 - I curated with Dr. Robina Thomas the exhibition To Reunite to Witness to Honour. This exhibition was the first exhibition of Alberni IRS repatriated paintings and it focused on the return process of the works of art.

• 2013 -  Re-connections: Coast Salish Knitting and Resilience in Chicago. Arts Incubator/Field Museum. Ethnographic Terminalia Exhibition. Chicago.