Paper short abstract:

In this paper I will discuss the guiding principle of my work as independent curator and as the Director of daphne, to create openings and possibilities for the next generation of Indigenous cultural workers. This work is done as a pedagogical practice in a contemporary cultural setting.

Paper long abstract:

How do we create space and opportunities in the cultural sector for the next generation of cultural workers? In my work as an independent curator and through my position as Director of daphne, it has been essential to mentor and create employment opportunities for Indigenous youth.

In this paper I will speak to three scenarios in which spaces were opened and opportunities were created for youth to build practical experience and knowledge of the cultural sector.

As Director of daphne I initiated an internship program through which candidates learn of the day-to-day running of an art gallery but also gain experience as a curatorial assistant. In my independent career the travelling exhibition, Initawà: to hear/ understand her in a certain way (2022-2023) and the extended loan exhibition, Mnaajtood ge Mnaadendaan: Miigwewinan Michi Saagiig Kwewag Miinegoowin Gimaans Zhaganaash Aki, 1860 / To Honour and Respect: Gifts from the Michi Sagiig Women to the Prince of Wales, 1860, co-curated with Laura Peers (2023) both created opportunities for me to development practices within exhibitions. These practices stem from the work being based in Indigeneity but also as a way to inscribe an Indigenous lens on the the experience of the exhibition for visitors but also to initiate a relationship within the institutional setting as a move to decolonization.