Exhibiting Aboriginal Art in Theory and Practice

ARTH 450, Winter 2013
Instructor: Heather Igloliorte

Course Description
In this seminar course students will study the history and theory of Aboriginal exhibitions and curatorial practice, and apply that
knowledge in the creation of their own (imagined) exhibitions. In this course we will critically examine the history of exhibiting Indigenous cultures globally, while focusing on exhibitions in Canada over the last thirty years. Students will gain understanding of the Aboriginal arts milieu through focused readings, museum and gallery tours, and through guest lecturers and other visitors from across the field of contemporary Aboriginal art and curatorial practice. In this seminar we will address such issues as the tension between art historical and anthropological paradigms of display, the challenges of post-colonial museology, and the ongoing role of identity politics in contemporary Indigenous art. Taking a hands-on approach, students will bring together theory and practice as they propose and plan an exhibition of Aboriginal arts.