Indigenous Artists Withdraw Art in Protest at U of Calgary

Two Indigenous artists from First Nations have withdrawn their artwork from the gallery at the University of Calgary as a form of protest following a contentious event that took place on campus recently. The incident occurred the day before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation when a group organized a discussion table to debate whether residential schools could be considered as an act of genocide.

The event, facilitated by Canadian Students for Free Speech, featured University of Calgary professor emeritus Tom Flanagan and Rebel News reporter Drea Humphrey as moderators to encourage open dialogue on the topic. Described as a “Charlie Kirk format” debate, the event sparked a demonstration and demands for action from the university.

During the event, a student was captured on video pouring water on Flanagan. Although the individual was questioned by Calgary police, no charges were filed.

Artists’ Response

Indigenous artists seth cardinal dodginghorse, who prefers lowercase letters in their name, and Glenna Cardinal, collectively known as tīná gúyáńí, decided to remove their seven pieces from the Nickle Galleries at the University of Calgary. This move came after they learned about the controversial event that took place on September 29.

Expressing their deep concerns, cardinal dodginghorse highlighted the personal impact of using residential schools as a topic for debate, stating that it showed a lack of understanding and sensitivity towards the historical trauma experienced by Indigenous communities.

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In 2022, the House of Commons supported a motion recognizing Canada’s residential schools as genocide, further emphasizing the gravity of such historical atrocities.

After a thorough discussion, the artists chose to retrieve their artwork from the gallery, replacing it with a letter to the university and sage for smudging.

Art piece titled Xigogu (yesterday) by tīná gúyáńí and the letter and sage left by the artists at the University of Calgary (seth cardinal dodginghorse/Facebook)

Cardinal expressed feeling unsafe and believed that their art was not secure at the university, leading to the decision to remove it from the gallery.

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